


Guarding the Light

by KnowledgeableOwl



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fights, Friends to Lovers, Hate to Love, Magic, Major Character Injury, Reader-Insert, Romance, Secret Relationship, Slow Burn, Swordfighting, Swordplay, Swords & Sorcery, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:15:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 82,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22120018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KnowledgeableOwl/pseuds/KnowledgeableOwl
Summary: So there were basically zero fanfictions that were about Lux/Reader, and I spent a ton of time looking for a decent one. Well, there were either unfinished ones or ones that were pretty bad, so I decided to be the change I want to see in the world and try my best at doing one myself.In short, after winning an arena event in the capital of Demacia, you get assigned as one of the Royal Guards that act as personal protectors for members of the royal families. You get the duty to protect Luxanna Crownguard, or Lux, as she likes to be called. Her own brother - the popular knight Garen, personally tasked you with watching over his sister, while he was away on campaigns and to follow her everywhere she went and tell him everything she does, or risk getting punished. He has noticed that recently, his sister has been spending a lot of time in private and Garen began to get worried. Will Lux even approve of your presence and task, and how will your relationship develop?
Relationships: Luxanna "Lux" Crownguard/Reader
Comments: 40
Kudos: 99





	1. A not so bright introduction

As you pull your sword out of the reptile humanoid that had fallen over you when he got stabbed, you push him over to the side and slowly get up. Your feet are wobbly and you are bleeding heavily from the multiple wounds you have suffered in the recent battle. That humanoid was the other gladiator that managed to last until the last round and after a tiring battle you managed to defeat him. The massive crowd roared and cheered as you raised your sword and chuckled happily. After all of the challenges you have faced, the reward will be yours.

Speaking of the reward, it was something simple, yet really prestigious - a guaranteed place in the Royal Guard. That meant working for a rich and royal family, which meant receiving constant high payment, as well as a personal quarters in the keep the family owns. This price might not seem like much, but peasants from near and far came to Demacia in order to try their luck. Everyone failed, except for you.

Not that you are anything too special. You are 27 years old and the last 10 years of your life were spent with a mercenary group, which led to you earning a lot of fighting experience and kept you fit and strong. You have participated in many battles and killed a lot of opponents, which was what helped you pull through this tournament alive. Well, that and some tricks and cunning strategy. You were always a person who liked going in with a plan. 

As the opponents body was pulled off the arena, two guards escorted you into the cell that served as your home for the last 2 weeks. A medic and a servant with some clothes were awaiting you inside. As you lay down on the table, the medic begins to stitch you up and bandage you with some help from the other man in the room. as they do this, the doctor says to you:

"We have 15 mintues to get you patched up and ready for the meeting which will determine which house you will be assigned to. Of course, I cannot patch you up well in just a quarter of an hour, however I will attempt to stop the bleeding as best as I can. I'm guessing they will send a proper medic with proper equipment to your new home when everything is done. Wouldn't want you to die after surviving such challenges, huh?"

The man stitches you up as best as he can and then the servant helps you get dressed in some clothes and shows you to the corridor that leads to the debate hall, where your fate will be decided. As you walk towards it, you take a look at the windows that were placed on both of your sides and see your reflection. You didn't really feel or notice it up until now, but apparently the left part of your upper lip got cut slightly by something and another one that went across your right eyebrow down to your right cheek. They were both stitched as best as the doctor could, but were still bleeding a bit.

Taking a deep breath, you walk into the big hall. A lot of unfamiliar faces were seated in a big circle around a platform that was in the middle. As you enter, people begin to talk between themselves in low voices. you hope they are saying positive things about you. You reach the middle and look at the main council, which consists of three people, whose faces are familiar, yet you don't know them personally. The man in the middle clears his throat and says in a rather bored voice:

"Congratulations, Mister (Y/N), for being the victor of our arena event. We are proud to be in the presence of such a great warrior."

As he says that, a slow and bored clapping fills the entire room. You do a little bow with your head, out of pure courtesy. It appears no one really wants to be here. You feel a bit offended, but think it is most likely normal for people who spend their whole days inside such rooms, discussing pressing matters of the state. The man clears his throat and the clapping stops almost instantly, after which, he carries on. 

"Today, we shall appoint your position on the Royal Guard and the person who you shall guard. I trust you are well acquainted with your duties, yes?" 

He doesn't even wait for you to respond and carries on.

"Now, before we assign your position, anybody in this hall that wishes to take this man as a guard willingly?"

You weren't expecting anyone to stand up, the ways things were going, however a young man who you recognize as Garen himself, stands up and says in a loud voice: 

"I request that this man gets assigned as a personal guard." 

many people look at the man in confusion, you included. Why would such a skilled knight need a guard? However, he continues: 

"For my sister Luxanna Crownguard."

When he said that, the woman sitting next to him suddenly looked at him almost terrified. Your guess is that the blonde girl was this Luxanna. You have heard her name before, but never seen her in person. She pulls on his pants with her left hand angrily, but Garen pays his sister no mind.

"Anyone that objects?" 

The main judge asks, bored. Lux pulls on her brother's clothes with increased ferocity, but no one really pays her attention. After waiting for some awkward 15 seconds, he sighs and says.

"Then it is decided. From now on, (Y/N) will be the personal guard of Miss Luxanna Crownguard. The court has decided."

As you begin to exit the circular hall, you notice some movement, as both Garen and Lux get up and begin to walk towards the exit with you. Was something wrong? You walk next to the two until all of you exit the hall. As the three of you do so, Garen makes some sign to his sister and she stops next to the door and leans on it. You can't help but notice that her face expresses annoyance or anger. Garen suddenly grabs you by the shoulder and pulls you to the side, away from his sister. He then looks around, as if to make sure no one, including Lux, wasn't listening, and he tells you:

"Listen, (Y/N), right? I saw the way you fought in the arena. No magic, a good combination of tactics and moves. I believe you are skilled enough to do what I want. You see, my sister has been acting... weird, lately. i don't know why, maybe I have just noticed it or I am imagining things, however I am getting really worried about Lux. What I want you to do, may seem a bit too much for someone expecting simple guard duty, but after all I have seen you do, I have faith in you. You must keep an eye on my sister wherever she goes and whenever she goes someplace. Anything you learn, you must report back to me. Should you keep anything a secret, there will be punishment, soldier."

With that sudden message. He turns around with a smile towards Lux and motions her over to you, pushing you next to her. With that, he says:

"Lux, please escort your new guardian to his quarters. He needs a medic if we want those cuts to close anytime soon. Wouldn't want him to bleed out after all that right?"

Lux replies quietly with a simple "Alright, brother."

Garen nods happily and hurries off to someplace. The man is probably pretty busy, so you do not blame him. Before you can react, Lux has already reached the middle of the corridor to the left, without muttering a word to you.

"Hey! Wait up, Miss Luxanna!"

You shout after her, to which she stops and looks at you with a mix of annoyance and anger. Why is she like that? You didn't do anything bad right? Maybe she disliked blood, and you were bleeding...

"Only Lux, Luxanna is too royal-like."

She says as you catch up to her and the two of you begin walking to somewhere. As you pass through the big city, you can't imagine what would happen if you ever got lost. You would probably die before you find your way back to the palace of the Crownguard. You follow Lux as well as possible and after about 15 minutes of walking, which felt like an hour due to your injuries, you finally reach a big mansion that was built on the edge of a forest. This must be some sort of personal garden of the family.

"Your room is next to mine. Second floor. Just to the left of the stairs. I will send a doctor to tend to your wounds, guard."

You raise your eyebrow in confusion at that cold introduction to the house. She walks inside swiftly and you hear a door close on the second floor. What a stuck-up woman! I mean, you are her servant, however you thought that after such a fight, you would be treated with more respect!

You enter the mansion and take a look around the place. It is pretty beautiful, the mansion's walls were carved marble that was accented by some blue and gold banners and curtains. You go up the stairs and to the left, as Lux had ordered you to do and pass by her room. The door had some weird scratches on it, which is weird, seeing as how everything else was pretty clean. Anyway, if it was something that worried you, you would report it to Garen, as ordered. You open the door with the key that was inside the lock and looked around. There is a comfy looking bed, a wardrobe, a table with two chairs, a couple of lanterns here and there to light it up when it got dark, two windows with a look over the forest in the backyard and a magnificent rug, which is placed in front of a big fireplace. You like it here, although the combination of white, blue and gold is a bit too cold for your taste. You take off your clothes and wait for the medic to come and attend to your wounds. The man came at some point and began to patch you up properly. 

As he did that, you thought about the attitude of Lux towards you. Did you piss her off with something you did? Maybe she had a friend in the gladiators that you killed? You should probably apologize to her tomorrow, as it was getting quite late. Yeah, that could smooth things out between the two of you, who knows. with those thoughts, you go to sleep, wondering what the future holds for you.


	2. A Dark Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As you wake up and prepare for the day, you think about Lux and what you did in order to piss her off. You decide that apologizing for whatever you did would be the best idea, so you wait in front of her room for her to wake up. However, you hear some noise inside, like a window opening, and because of a bad feeling in your gut, you run to your room's window and see a cloaked figure running inside the private woods. Without hesitation, you run outside and try to catch up with Lux and see what she's up to.

You wake up and for a moment, you are confused. Where are you? As you begin to panic, suddenly the events that unfolded in the past days come back to you, and you remember why you aren't in your house. You are now in the mansion of the Crownguard as a personal guard for Lux, the woman that doesn't appear to enjoy your presence too much. You get up and the chilly air makes you shiver, as you slept in your underwear only, which, let's admit, isn't too warm. You open your wardrobe, looking for your normal clothes, however you find that they have been taken, and instead replaced by three outfits, which all look the same but are suited for different weathers. Main colors all consist of white, dark blue and gold, the main colors most people here seem to wear. You decide to pick a black undershirt, paired with some dark blue pants. You put your light leather armor on top of them, and over all of it, a white overcoat to keep you warm. 

You exit the room and knock on Lux's door. After getting no response, you decide that she must be still asleep, so you look around for a place to sit while waiting for the woman. Yo notice a small table, along with two armchairs by it's sides. Some srvants come and see you sitting there and with a kind smile, a chubby old woman asks:

"Good morning to you, Mr. (Y/N)! How are you feeling today? Waiting for the Miss, right? She is a late sleeper, do not fret! Shall I bring you some breakfast? You must be very hungry."

"Uhm... hey, good morning! I- Yeah, I would like something to eat, I guess I am pretty starved now that I think about it."

The woman smiles and nods, and along with the other servants goes back downstairs to prepare something for you to eat. You aren't used to being treated so well, so your response probably wasn't as adequate as you wished for it to be, but you can forgive yourself for that. You aren't used to this new place yet! A girl brings you some red tea, along with some sort of a freshly baked sweetroll. You pick up the cup and take a sip, the warm liquid warming you up from inside, and walk up to the door again, giving it a knock again, as you didn't want to wait too much. As you wait, you examine the scratches on the door to Lux's room. They appear to be randomly cut here and there, but after examining them for a while, they appear to have some sort of pattern that you don't understand. maybe this is the trademark of a master door maker in town? You can't tell, but something suddenly snaps you out of your reasoning. You hear a sound of something like a door opening with a quiet creek, then some shuffling and then a faint thud,

There were no doors in Lux's room, as far as you could tell, so that could have been the window being open. Did she jump out?! You put the now empty cup on the table and rush over to your own window. A cloaked figure can be seen running into the woods area of the mansion. You can't let her go somewhere without you! What if she gets hurt? Garen would kill you! Literally! You rush downstairs, your bastard's sword on your hilt, and run through the big wooden back doors and carry on into the woods. You notice a trail that spirals into the forest, which you hope Lux has taken, as you don't know this place.

As you go deeper into the forest, your run slowly becomes a walk, then a struggle, as the trail spirals up and down, left and right and is covered in roots that catch your legs and different plants that latch onto your clothes and slapping your face every once and a while. How did the girl even get past here? Not only was it dark and gloomy, but you couldn't help but trip every now and again and fall down over something that you didn't see.

"God damn it, where the hell is Lux?" 

You murmur to yourself as you look around. Going back is getting very tempting, but what if the woman was in danger? If she got hurt, you would take the blame. You carry on and in a couple of minutes you are moving in total darkness. Where the hell were you? How could a forest be so dark damn it! You can feel getting more and more scratches all over you, thorns constantly stabbing you. Suddenly you see a tiny shimmer in the distance. Your eyes light up, hope filling you back up, as you rush as fast as you can towards the light at the end of the tunnel. As you get close, you notice a little grass patch, covered in sunlight that comes from a hole in the trees that are over it. There is a little pond in the middle of it all, but most importantly, there is also a Lux there, holding some sort of rod that shines bright in both of it's ends. Is... is that a magic staff? Since when did someone use magic in Demacia and how come it is Lux, out of all people? That explains why Garen asked you to keep and eye over her. You decide to watch for a bit before confronting her.

She appears to be practicing some sort of light magic, as you can see her launching balls of light at random places in the forest, which then sit in place, glow for a bit and pop, spreading some more light around. An unintended "Woah.." escapes your mouth. Lux's eyes widen as she turns around and shoots on of those things straight at you, which you manage to dodge by rolling under it right onto the sunlit grass. The two of you stare at each other and you notice fear and panic in her eyes.

"Uh... Hello? I saw you ran into the forest and decided to come check up on you, you know, me being your personal guard and all. You can't-"

She suddenly cuts you off.

"Go back now."

"Excuse me?"

"Go back and keep your mouth shut about what you saw here. No one can know about this, do you understand?"

"I guess I do, however I have to tell your brother what I have seen, unless I want to get kicked out!"

"No, please! You can't do this! They will put me in shackles and do experiments on me in order to remove my powers! Like the stories tell! All magic users are to be disposed off..."

"Come on, I am sure they wouldn't do that to you! I will speak to Garen personally and he will understand."

"You don't know anyone here. You don't even know how our king is named!"

"I... I haven't been in this part of the world a lot, I will admit..."

"I cannot let you go unless you promise you won't tell anyone."

"But I will be kicked out!"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have looked into things that don't concern you!"

That really pissed you off. You snicker to yourself. You are sure they wouldn't do anything bad to her, even if she had magic! Hell, even you used magic, ice magic to be exact, but you read it was banned in the tournament, so you didn't get a chance to cast anything then. No one did anything to you, right? As you open your mouth, suddenly you notice some light runes forming a circle bellow and above you. You try to move, but some light latches on to your arms. Your overcoat begins to smoke where they touched you. Your skin underneath begins to burn uncomfortably.

"What the hell? Let me go, Miss Lux!" Gotta keep your manners!

"Promise me you won't tell."

"I can't! I promised your brother to tell him everything I knew! I can't break a promise by counter promising!"

"Why? Aren't you supposed to be my servant? Why would you obey Garen over me? Are you gay?"

"WHAT!?"

"Please just promise me you won't tell, it will cost me my life."

If you actually did promise her that, you would feel really uncomfortable around Garen. He would definitely notice, have you questioned and find out either way.

"You know that people will notice I am keeping a secret. they will interrogate me and get the information out of me forcefully."

"I... You will have to act normally!"

Suddenly the magic wears off. You don't waste any time and jump to the side, but Lux shoots another one at you. You can't dodge it, so you use your ice magic to make a shield that almost blocked it completely. You leap towards Lux in order to try and get the staff away from her, but the spell she shot earlier still latched on to your left arm. You pull out your sword in order to cut it, however the woman screams in fear at the sight of your blade. Did she think you would kill her? Suddenly, maybe due to her panicking, the light latches on to your feet and torso as well.

"Hold up, I don't mean to stab you, Miss Lux, just let me expali-"

Her eyes have begun glowing white as she rises in the air and a ball of light begins to grow in front of her. Uh oh, that can't be good. She appears to be aiming towards you!

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait! I won't hurt you, do not fry me up! Can you even hear me?!"

She appears to be chanting some sort of magic words and suddenly, she moves her hands forward and everything goes completely white. The last thing you feel before fainting is a burning pain all over your body. Then, everything goes black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late and probably bad chapter! I am busy with some IRL stuff so I cannot post as much. Anyways, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! I tried to make the two characters have a fight in order to push the story, by showing Lux your magical powers and by showing her how dangerous she can really be. Admittedly, our main character is a bit dumb for not doing things differently and maybe too honorable in order to lie, but I decided to use that in order to progress the fandom. hope it wasn't too weird, I promise it will be worth it in the long run!


	3. A Bright Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So it looks like you lived, as far as you can tell. If we exclude the uncomfortable burning pain all over your body, you would consider this a good result of the recent events! Well, that and the fact that you can't see much. Apparently, getting hit directly by a concentrated beam of light isn't healthy! Glad we got that cleared out! Anyway, don't fret, for our main character won't be permanently blind. Also, I will be trying to introduce new characters from now on and I have a plan to meet most of the ones from League of Legends throughout this entire fanfic. Stay tuned for that!

You come to your senses in what appears to be a dark room. You cannot see anything, but you feel constant and uncomfortable pain all over your body as if you had spilled something hot all over yourself. You try to open your eyes, but just then notice that you physically cannot. There is some sort of cloth covering them, kind of like a bandage, that appears to be coated in some sort of liquid. So that's why everything is black! You simply can't open your eyes! Your brain falls into a bit of a panic trying to figure out how the hell you got into this situation and suddenly all the memories from back then come to you. The forest, Lux, her magic, your argument and finally the way she blasted you with that powerful beam she conjured. That is your best bet as to how you ended up in such a state. What a mess that was! Now that you think about it, maybe you shouldn't have been so harsh with her. If you want to be frank with yourself, the things you said were dumb.

"Well, I'm an idiot!" You sigh to yourself and then hear that something or someone suddenly perks up nearby. You jump in surprise and fear, causing you extreme pain, but the noise-maker ushers you back down into the bed with a quiet "Shhhh! Go back into the bed and rest!" Huh, you swear you have heard that voice somewhere before... 

"How long have I been out?" You ask the person next to you.

"For about a day and a half." The quiet voice says. You believe that the voice is that of a female, although she spoke quietly. Her voice was also a bit shaky and uneven at times and you got the feeling that she was either anxious about something or nervous.

"How is Lady Lux?" You ask her again. After all, if anyone saw her blast of light and told the guards, she could be in big trouble because of you. Especially if the stories she told you about how Demacia treats magic are true.

There is a bit of a pause, before a more unstable voice than before answeres "S-she is fine. But how are you?"

"Ah, well, besides my eyes, I have suffered greater injuries. From the amount of pain I feel, the wounds should heal sooner rather than later, so all will be fine! I guess there will also be almost no scars!"

"That's... good, I think..." The voice answers. You have heard it before somewhere! But where?

After a while, someone brings you some drink and food and you eat it with some help from the unknown woman next to you, as there is some severe pain in your chest area. Your best bet is that it is where the beam hit you dead center. You chat a bit with your new friend, mostly because you can't read, write, draw or do anything that would cure you of your boredom. You tell her some stories of your homeland, some stories of your adventures and a bit about your life as a mercenary. Through it all, she doesn't seem to talk much, but you can tell she is listening, as she gets inquisitive from time to time and asks some additional questions. It would seem that whoever she was, she hasn't traveled much, as she didn't know some basic information about the neighboring countries. The only things she knew were in some way connected to politics. 

A day passed, then two, then a week. During this time you talked to the unknown woman next to your bed. She was there most of the time, unless sleeping, eating, going to the toilet or attending some sort of meetings, so you two had a lot of time to spend together. During this week, your wounds slowly healed up and you were almost feeling completely well again. However, your eyes weren't making such a speedy recovery. Once or twice a day, another woman came in, who used some sort of musical technique to speed up your recovery, however, she said that without rest, your eyes wouldn't heal any faster. The woman who tended to you also began talking to you more openly. She was telling stories of her own, how she grew up in this city under strict parenting and how much she wished to explore the world. If Lux didn't hate you, you would have thought she was the one sitting next to you all the time! That would be impossible though. Surely!

One night, the next week, you woke up feeling thirsty. You also had to go to the toilet, ASAP! However, your friend had gone to her home to sleep for the night, and all of the servants slept in their separate parts of the mansion. The only one nearby who could help you was Lux, but it was probably the middle of the night and she hated you with passion, so you don't dare call for her. You take off the bandage and try to look around. You can see, although everything is blurry and your eyes hurt as if you have stared at the sun for half an hour. Anyway, you begin to get out of bed, when you notice a dark figure curled up on some sort of a makeshift bed, made out of two couches facing each other. That must be the woman who was constantly talking to you. You lean in, trying to see her face, but suddenly, you notice the blonde hair, the dark blue undersuit, and the white overcoat that underlines the dark colors. Your eyes widen in surprise as even in the blur that is your current vision, you recognize Lux. Why was she here? A big part of you didn't believe she was the one that had spent so much time with you the past few days. Was she feeling guilty? Now that you think about it, she did say something about the stories they told the young kids in Demacia. Most of them told of witches and wizards who always became evil as they grew up. Maybe she believed her time had come as well?

Confused and surprised, you slowly exit the bedroom and carefully make your way towards the bathroom at the end of the hallway. You bump into most of the furniture in the way, as not only is it night time, but your vision is as if you were underwater. You reach the bathroom and get to the toilet and with a sigh, you do what you have to. As you finish up and walk back out, you suddenly trip on the doorstep and begin to fall. Suddenly, someone gently catches you and stops your fall. You look up and see the silhouette of Lux, looking down at you. You can't see her face, but you feel little drops of water fall on your face. Was she crying? She suddenly hugs you and pulls you closer to her, as the two of you are still down on the floor.

"I-I'm so sorry~" She whispers, her voice shaking, as she keeps on crying and shaking. You are so surprised by her and the way she acts that you keep looking at her wide-eyed and keep silent. She continues:

"I never meant to- to hurt you so much! I shouldn't have- I shouldn't have practiced my magic in the first place! Look what it lead to! I... I scarred you for- for life!" During this entire talk, she weeps heavily and hugs you close to her.

"I knew I shouldn't have done any magic, all of the stories are true! I... I am slowly becoming a m-monster!" She looks you straight in the eyes and whispers "I-I know it is impossible... but will you ever forgive me?"

You look into her eyes, blue and beautiful, even though they were reddish and swollen from her tears. You reach up and attempt to wipe her tears off as best as you can with your blurred vision. She freezes up at your touch, but you still wipe her tears off and gently caress her cheek.

"Don't worry, Miss... I am not mad or angry at you in the slightest. Please don't cry for me. After all, it was my fault that I ended up like this." You say before you could think of anything better.

"I have suffered injuries far worse than these, don't be sad. The one who should be saying sorry here. You took care of me those past days and I can't be more grateful for that." You rise to her level and hug her back. Lux freezes in shock for a bit, before hugging you tightly as well, burying her face into your shoulder.

"Thank you so much..." She whispers from your side. Poor girl must have been feeling like shit this entire time. You guess that a simple thing such as your forgiveness meant so much to her. The two of you stay like that for a while, before you rise and help her up. 

"Feeling better?"

"Y-yeah... Thank you, (Y/N)..."

"It's nothing... By the way, I think I need to tell you something." She looks at you curiously. "Well, all of those stories about mages turning bad after a while? The ones you have been told as a little girl? They are bull. All of them. I have traveled a lot and I have seen much, and let me tell you, not all mages are evil. Sure, they are some pretty bad ones, but most try to help others out. Hell, even I am a type of mage, but I am not that bad, right?"

Lux looks at you in disbelief and then nods slowly. Did she believe all of those stories her whole life?

"You know what Lux? I am willing to help you control your magic powers once I get better."

She looks at you in disbelief again, however, this time she even smiles a bit.

"R-really? You would do that?"

"Yeah! After all, the only way to protect your powers from being discovered is by teaching you how to control them well."

Lux seems to be extremely pleased with your offer and nods excitedly. Then she stops for a bit as if considering something, then she leans in and plants a quick kiss on your cheek. You don't know how to react, but she cheerfully says:

"See you later then!" 

And runs back into her room. You rub your cheeks and chuckle to yourself, as you go back into your room and into your bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the little hiatus I was on. I just had a lot of IRL stuff that I had to attend to and didn't have the time nor the inspiration to write more. Sorry about that! As you can see, Lux and the main character had quite a bit of character development. They will begin to get closer and cIoser from now on. I hope you liked this chapter and thank you for the time you spent reading it!


	4. A new Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new day comes and you are ready to help Lux train with her magic. You aren't the best teacher, however you will try your best and maybe learn something new as well! You dress up, break your fast and wait for her outside on a little bench near the entrance to the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, I am sorry, once again, that I have been absent for so long. Free time is a luxury currently and when I have some I am either burned out or completely out of the mood. I know I have left you guys hanging for a while and want to deeply apologize for it. Let's hope it doesn't happen again. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I added some backstory to the main character and will soon have a way of giving him a proper name. I hope I didn't mess up any lore too much. I am no expert in league lore, I mainly play the game as a hobby, lol.

You wake up from the sound of birds chirping outside of your window, the cold morning wind blowing through, on your face. You get up and walk over to your wardrobe, shivering a bit. You look in the mirror on the side of the wardrobe and study your body. Most of the scars have already faded and you looked mostly normal, except for the big, spiked, circle-shaped scar on your chest, where the main impact had been. It looked rather cool though, so you didn't mind it. Putting some of your usual clothing on, the leather boots, the loose, royal blue trousers, the belt that had a sheathe for your longsword, the white undershirt and the golden-colored tunic above it and finally, the black gloves you always wore before you came here. You strap on the pieces of your leather armor on as well, those being the shoulder guards, the armguards and the kneecaps. Sheathing your weapon, you step out of your room, ready for the day.

You quietly make your way downstairs, trying not to wake anyone up as you make yourself some tea, using some herbs from your pouch, and eat a piece of bread along with some salted beef from the basement. As you eat your food on the porch outside, you see that Lux's window opens and she pops out for a fresh breath of air, wearing her pajamas. Isn't it a bit cold for that? She spots you and waves to you, smiling in a rather friendly way. You chuckle and smile back, raising your hand in response. In a couple of minutes, the woman exits the back door and sits next to you, carrying some form of sweetcakes she picked up for herself.

"Good morning! How did you sleep, (Y/N)?"

"Hey! well, I slept as well as usual. What about you?"

"I swept juft fine!" She answeres, her mouth full of her breakfast. "Reafy to starf trainin'?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose. Mind you, I can't guarantee the quality of what we are about to do. I am also still a novice in spellcraft."

"That's fine! It will be better than nothing I suppose. Anyway, (Y/N), I'm done with my food, shall we go?" She asks, getting up from the bench.

"Lead the way."

She turns around, her golden hair shining in the orange sunlight of the morning sun. You wonder how she can be so different in comparison to her brother. He was big, she was small, he had brown hair, she had a golden one, he wielded a sword and fought with his muscles, she wielded a staff and was sued to solving matters with words. No matter what the cause was, you wouldn't want it to be the other way around. You don't think anyone would. As you reach the end of the forest, she turns around towards you and says.

"Well, (Y/N), from here on, unless you want to get lost, you will have to hold on to me. I know this path quite well, and we all know how the last time you went through here blindly went." With that, she holds out her hand, which you take in yours and the two of you carry on. For some odd reason, her hand is a lot warmer than yours. You aren't cold at all, and you are wearing gloves too. Maybe her light magic somehow makes her hotter? Wait, bad choice of words, maybe it makes her body temperature higher? Something similar has happened to yourself before. You have heard a lot of people ask you-

"Why are your hands so cold, (Y/N)? Do you need to go back and get more clothes?"

"No, no, it's fine, I think it is because of the slight amounts of ice magic I use. It is making my body cooler, especially the hands since that is where it comes out from." You answer with a slight chuckle.

"That's uncomfortable... it's like I am touching a stone in our basement... Can you fix that somehow?"

"I don't think so. It's the same with your hands, isn't it? They are warmer than other people's."

"A-Are they? Yeah, I guess you are right if that is how magic works..."

"I once knew a necromancer. His hands were cold and made anyone not used tot hem shiver in fear at the touch. It was pretty funny you know."

"You knew a NECROMANCER? Aren't they really evil?"

"Most, but not all. This guy wasn't your typical necromancer though. He was trying to bring peace to the dead. I can't seem to recall his name, it was something like Yorig or Yorick."

"How did you get to know him?"

At this question, you pause for a bit, thinking of how to answer. The reason you sought this Yorick out was that your wife had been killed by raiders while you were away fighting as a mercenary, along with your young son. You didn't want for him to bring them back, you only wanted to tell them a final goodbye before they went on to the afterlife. He said that he could do that, if only for a bit, but they wouldn't resemble their old selves nor have any sanity. It could also turn extremely dangerous, due to the pain they experienced while dying. They could become a strong form of undead, hard to destroy and banish. You didn't want to remember them as such, so you gave up on that idea. After that, you spent some time with him, helping him out with freeing some dead from this world, as you felt that was a way to earn your lost family's forgiveness. You wore a specialized suit that reduced the effect of the mist on the Shadow Isles, but the month you spent there scarred you for life.

"(Y/N)? Are you alright?"

You quickly snap out of it. "Oh, yeah, sorry, I was just thinking of this Yorick guy."

"If it is something you don't want to talk about, it is completely fine not to answer my question."

Doing that would raise suspicion though, so, for now, you simply say "Nah, don't worry, it was just that he owed me a favor after I saved him from one of his creations."

"Are there more stories you can tell me about your travels? I haven't been out of Demacia in a long while..."

"Yeah, sure. As a mercenary, I constantly fought in many battles on different sides. Our group was hired by a group of Noxians-" at that, you can feel her grip tighten around your hand, almost angrily "and helped them enact a coup in the capital in what is known as the Trifarian Revolution. The fighting there was really, and I mean really bad. Noxians are all strong warriors and every single battle was likely to be your last. I almost lost my entire left arm there, after getting knocked down by one of the soldiers there."

"What happened?"

"Well, I fight with a longsword, but some of their troops were wielding giant axes, which I couldn't hope to block or parry. Well, that time I couldn't dodge too. I blocked his blow, which snapped my sword in half and knocked me down. He began to swing at me again, however the rebellion's leader, this general with a red demon hand-"

"General Swain... I have heard of him, he lost his arm in some battle and was humiliated for it, which led to that rebellion."

"Yup, it was him. Anyway, he and his forces were just coming around the corner of the street the garrison was supposed to hold. He saw what was happening and unleashed some sort of demonic form, which induce fear in absolutely everyone around. I almost felt as if my soul was being dragged away from my body. People dropped their weapons, and he simply flew over, said "Duck" quietly and sent a wave over the entire street. I was lying down so it didn't hit me, but basically everyone else form the garrison and the enemy turned to dust. It was... one of the scariest things I had experienced in my life."

"I can only imagine... (Y/N), you mustn't continue if you don't want to."

"Don't worry, it was a long time ago, I was sixteen then-"

"SIXTEEN?!"

"....Yeah?"

"You fought in such battles when you were SIXTEEN?"

"Yup. Anyway, Swain helped me up then, extended his demonic arm and picked up my broken sword from the ground, fixed it up and gave it to me with the words "Carry on fighting, soldier. You haven't earned the money in that contract just yet." After which I helped him and his companions take over the main castle of Noxus. I was one of the few who stood behind him as he finished the deed by killing their emperor back then. It was me, a couple of other soldiers, this muscular man who wielded to giant axes and another general."

"How do you cope. You know, with all of that killing."

You sigh sadly."I don't sometimes I still have nightmares from that moment. Even a scar to show for it, from the moment Swain turned into that... thing."

You pull down your collar and, under the light of Lux's staff, she sees the scar. It is as if someone tried to pull something out of you, something hot and it dragged over the surface of your skin. Like someone drew a wave of red across the right side of your neck.

"That looks disgusting..."

"You will get used to it, don't worry. I did!"

With a sigh, Lux keeps leading you through the forest.

"Anyway, I stuck around till the end of the First Noxian-Ionian war for some extra rewards and when it ended, me and the remainder of the mercenary group I was in left the Noxian army. We were sent out as heroes, as our courage was well noted by Swain."

You try to think of another story to tell her, but you reach the little grass opening Lux usually trained at. When you step into the light, she turned around to you with... tears on her face? 

"W-What happened?"

"Nothing, it is just that... I feel bad for you. You have been through so much, and that probably isn't even a third of what you have experienced, and yet you are so cheerful... I wish I could be like you. Always cheerful and happy."

"Lux... Don't cry for such a thing as my wellbeing! I am fine, see!" You smile at her, trying to calm her down a bit. "Such experiences made me who I am. I value my friends and family because I might lose them at any moment. I try to be as happy as possible because I don't want to die sad and gloomy, you know?"

Lux looks at you, astonished and gives a small smile as she wipes out her tears. "I understand. I will attempt to be more like you from now on, (Y/N)! I will try to be happier than before and try my best at our training sessions!"

You smile at her and the two of you walk towards the middle of the little patch of grass to begin the training session.


	5. A Rich Training Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter continues the tale we began last time, starting off with our main character teaching Lux about magic and how it is controlled. I hope I will be getting more chapters out, as with the entire Coronavirus situation I have had more time for myself lately. Anyway, wash your hands, avoid touching your face and I hope you enjoy this chapter in good health!

As you and Lux finally reach the little field of grass, she pulls out her staff from under her cloak. You, in turn, take off your cloak, as it usually only gets in the way. Hanging it on a nearby branch, you turn to face the blonde girl, who is now sitting in the grass, looking at you as if she expects something. You get a bit uneasy at such a sight. Does she take you for a professional teacher? You only know how to hold a sword and make some icy shards here and there. You clear out your throat and sit in front of her. Wondering how to begin, you open your mouth to say something, however, you are immediately cut off by the overexcited Lux.

"So, what will we be doing today? I am so excited about this entire thing! You have no idea!"

"I think I do... Anyway, I am not sure how to begin. It is entirely possible that you are more capable than me when it comes to magic, at least from what I have seen... and felt."

You immediately regret making that comment as Lux visibly saddens at your words. Trying to cheer her up, you say:

"W-well, anyways, from what I have heard, magic is like a muscle. As with any skill, for example, archery, pickpocketing, foraging, etcetera, the more you use magic, the stronger and more precise it gets. Now, from what I understand, using magic tires you out, but not as in exhaustion from let's say running, but rather mental exhaustion. That inner magic pool is what most people call Mana. Again, the more you use your magic, the bigger your mana pool will get. There are certain items, rings, necklaces, staffs and even cloaks that can store some mana. Mages use them like mana banks, drawing from them in times of great need and charging them back up in their spare time. that being said, I don't think we will be able to get you such an item anytime soon, so be careful with your spell usage."

This entire time Lux is listening to you very carefully, blue eyes locked with yours as if her life depends on it.

"Got it."

"Anyway, to give you an example of this, I will use myself. I use a heavy spell, as in really tiring, and then attempt to do some physical activities. You will be able to see how I get visibly tired, but will be able to use my normal stamina for everything as if I have just awoken from a long rest."

With those words, you walk in the middle of the little field, surrounded by the tall trees of the forest of the estate, and focus for a bit. After a couple of seconds, you freeze a bit of the nearby pond's water and make 5 icicles. They begin floating around you, as you use your left hand to freeze the morning dew on the grass into an ice cube, at which you then flung all of the shards. They lodge into the cube, and you make a splitting motion with both of your hands, which makes the spikes explode, destroying the cube along with them. Sweating and breathing heavily, you stumble back, grabbing a nearby stone for some balance and to regain your footing.

"Are you alright (Y/N)?"

"Y-Yeah, don't worry! Now-" you take a deep breath and stand up on your own. "I will try to do 50 squats right here, right now at my current condition."

With those words, you begin to do the task. After about a minute you are done and stretch back up. Not only aren't you too tired, but you also look better than before.

"Woah." You hear from Lux's direction.

"it's important to understand the difference between normal stamina and mana. I have seen a lot of mages on the battlefield simply flee or cower in fear once they use up their mana reserves. You need to know that the end hasn't come when you expend your mana pool. I believe that is crucial to any magic user, even if they don't swing a big sword around." With those words, you give her a cheeky smile, which she returns at you.

"I will remember this!"

You sit back down and look at her. "Well, I need some time to recover. While I do, do you mind showing me roughly what can you do? No ultra-death ray this time though. Don't want us to be seen now, do we?"

She eagerly stands up and walks over in front of you. It is weird seeing her taller than you, even if it is because you are sitting down. She concentrates for a second and then looks at a rabbit bouncing around nearby. She points her staff at it and a big ball of light comes out. You begin to pray to the rabbit god to send this one to their version of heaven for his bravery, however, the spell doesn't do him much harm. Only scorching his fur a bit. He then gets entangled in some sort of light root for a few seconds, before they fade off and the little guy runs away frantically. She looks back at you, seemingly unaffected by the mana usage and smiles. She then suddenly hurls her staff at you and you yelp, raising your hands to block it from hitting your face. Instead, it passes through you and envelops you in a bubble that appears to be almost invisible, except for the slight distortion of the world around you. It then slowly disappears. She chuckles at your expression and carries on. Pointing her staff at the nearby dark patch of the forest, a ball launches out of it. It then hovers in place for a bit, before she snaps her fingers, making it explode in bright light, illuminating the vicinity, scorching the nearest trees.

"Woah..." It is the only thing you manage to say. She uses a wider variety of spells, compared to you, doesn't get tired and has far better control over them than yourself.

"Did you like the light show?" She asks with a giggle, sitting next to you. You nod in approval. Drops of sweat are visible on her forehead and her breathing is a bit ragged, but that is normal after the things she did.

"You are way better than me. How much- No, rather for how long have you been practicing?"

"Almost every day for a couple of years now."

"That explains it. I barely use any magic."

After a bit of chatting, you both are relaxed enough to carry on. You help her up and lead her to the edge of the forest. You then place a couple of stones up until the end of the field at roughly 5 meters from one another. On top of each one, you put a smaller rock. When you walk back up to her, you tell her her objective.

"Now, this may seem simple however I heard this is how they train precision in the mage guilds around the world. I want you to shoot a basic beam, ball, whatever simple spell you fancy and try to hit the rocks I placed as your targets."

"Alright... I can use my staff to channel a simple burst of light that doesn't even drain me, as far as I can tell."

"That would do Miss Crownguard. Anyway, later on, we will practice with bigger spells-"

"You don't have to address me so formally while we are here you know..."

"Oh... Alright then, Luxanna-"

"Simply Lux will do."

"Ahem... Alright then, LUX. let's begin."

She giggles at your stutter and faces the handmade target range. She points her staff with a sharp but also gentle move (You have no idea how she managed that.) and a burst of light comes out, hitting the nearest stone dead center, making it fall. She does the same for the second and third one, which is at about a 15-meter distance. The next one she misses and requires a few attempts to hit and she becomes completely unable to hit the one that is about 25 meters away from her, constantly missing.

"That's enough. Judging for how long you have practiced with your staff, I believe that this doesn't mean you are unskilled, but rather that you have a limited effective range. From what I know, mages who use their hands for spells have a rough range of 0-15 meters, staff users are somewhere along the lines of 5-20 meters and simple wand users are the ones who have the most range, from 5-30 meters, as they are really easy to aim and use."

"Does this mean I should change my staff for a wand? I am quite fond of it..."

"Unless you are willing to exchange it for a couple of extra meters, I wouldn't recommend it, as it would also lead to you having to practice the same amount of time you practiced with your staff."

"I... I will hold on to my staff then..."

"A wise choice. Anyway, using this practice range daily will be of great help to you. It will teach you how to control your magic usage properly and efficiently. Think of it as stretching before actual exercise."

She lets out a little chuckle. You turn to her and raise your eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Nothing, you just describe everything connected to magic with physical actions. I guess that is normal for a fighter though. Still, it is amusing to see how much they have in common... and how you struggle to explain the magical part of it."

"That's calling me simple-minded with more words!"

"No, it's not!"

"Right, of course not. Anyway, now-"

"Wait, it's your turn!"

"What? Why would I need to do that?"

"You use up too much mana with your simple spells. You need more practice too! Plus it will be more fun if we practice together!"

"I guess you are right..." You stand beside her and raise your right hand. Using the nearby morning dew, you conjure up a small ice spike in your hand. You then send it flying towards the first target, hitting it directly, the ice shattering at impact. You conjure another shard and strike the second target successfully, even though it was the outer side of the rock. You miss the third rock about 5 times, during which Lux watches amused until you finally manage to hit it just barely.

"I guess I do need more practice..." Lux pats your shoulder and smiles at you.

"We'll get better together! The best strategy is to never give up!" At that, you chuckle.

"I guess it is! Time and time again have I proven that to be true in my travels... Also, am I the only one hungry?"

"Nope, I am starving! Let's begin making our way home (Y/N)!"

With that, she takes your hand and begins leading you back through the forest, her hand still as warm as before. This time, you take longer to get back, but that is understandable judging how both of you are tired. During the walk, Lux begins to ask you more about yourself.

"So... Where were you born?"

"Well, I was orphaned really small, my mother died when I was born and my dad was killed while defending our land from sea monsters six years later. If you haven't guessed already, I was born in Bilgewater. I had to steal to survive, but my ultimate goal was to earn enough money to get off of that island. After about 6 years, when I was 12, I snuck onto a ship, my cutlass, clothes and a pouch full of coin being my only possessions. I arrived at a port, I think it was called Mudtown or something of the sort and made my way to Piltover and Zaun, using directions given to me by the people I met on the roads. I passed through those cities quickly, as I didn't want to have anything to do with either of them and entered Noxian territory soon after. That's when I joined up with the merc company I worked with until recently. They weren't good people, but weren't bad either, which was fine with me. after that, I participated in a bunch of battles and after about 7 years, I was around 20 at that time, I met this girl called Trika, a Vastayan who was captured by a Noxian army with whom my merc group worked with. Anyway, we talked and I... well let's say I liked her, helped her escape and left m merc life behind. We spent three years together and then... well..." You still weren't too comfortable with sharing the fact you had a little son nor the fact they were both killed shortly after his birth. "Things fell apart and we separated. That's when I heard about the tournament that was to be held here in Demacia and came over to try my luck."

Lux falls silent for a while before saying "Wow... I knew your life was eventful, but having so much happen to you at such a young age... Also, this Trika. If you don't want to talk about her, it is fine with me."

"Nah, don't worry, I got over it a long time ago!" At least you hope so...

"Well, you can tell me more about your adventures tonight! I can show you my favorite spot to spend the evening. We will meet at the main hall after dinner!"

With that, the two of you arrive at the Crownguard residence. Suddenly, Lux's eyes widen in surprise, as you see a couple of figures sitting around the table, outside in the garden. Judging from Lux's impression, it would be better if they didn't catch you walking out of the forest. From what you can see, you notice that Garen is there, along with a blonde woman, almost as tall as him, wearing the Crownguard attire, along with a couple of guards around them. They were talking to the servant lady that brought you lunch and she looked flustered. 

"I completely forgot about her visit!" Lux murmurs as she throws her staff in the nearby bushes. You don't ask who she is, because you don't want to waste time, however, Garen turns his head towards the two of you and waves. The woman turns too and looks straight at you, something aggressive in her eyes. Who the hell is she?

"That's my aunt... Tianna. Oh god..."

With those words, she begins walking to her relatives and the only thing you can do is follow close behind her, putting on the calmest expression possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the chapter! I tried my best, lol (Sorry for that cliffhanger! Something really interesting is coming up.). As I said in the introduction, stay safe people! See you soon!


	6. A Difficult Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting with Lux's relative, Tianna Crownguard, you are put under a test in order to prove your usefulness and whether you are worthy of being her guard. New orders come your way and you must prepare for what is to come in the following months: meeting with some new companions...

As you walk closer to the group that came to your residence, you begin to make out more of the woman's expression. She looks somewhat angry but also... bored? On the other hand, Garen looks a bit nervous, which doesn't seem good to you. The guards are simply standing there, but judging by their prestige armor, they are part of some form of elite guards. They have a full suit of metal armor, which you assume to be Demacian Steel, the same material from which Garen's armor is made. Tianna Crownguard appears to be wearing similar defenses, however, her's and Garen's are decorated in comparison to the plain steel of the guards. They appear to have sheathed short-swords, sheathed on their belt. Lux's aunt doesn't seem to tear her eyes from the two of you as you get closer, which makes you a bit uneasy, however, you keep your cool.

"Aunt Tianna," Lux says as she reaches the older Crownguard. She then turns towards her brother "Hey Garen."

"Hey, Lux." Her brother answers quietly.

"Luxanna..." Tianna says solemnly. "And you must be her new... guard." She says the last word with a hint of arrogance in her voice. You realize you don't like her too much.

"It is an honor, Lady Crownguard." You say, deciding to be polite, with a short bow with your head.

"Don't waste your courtesy on me, mercenary. It is not what I have come for." She says sharply. You decide it's not a good idea to correct her that you left that life behind.

"What would your goal be, then?" You ask her, keeping eye contact with the taller woman, trying to show her you aren't afraid nor impressed by her tough attitude.

"You are in no position to question me, soldier. However, I suppose you have the right to know what will follow from here on." She motions for Garen to come closer and he steps beside her, along with 3 soldiers of their elite guard. You have a bad feeling about this. Tianna continues, still talking in the same aggressive tone. "You are guarding a member of the Crownguard family. It should be well known, that many people would want us dead. For this reason, any guard who is assigned to such a duty must go through serious training before being appointed to such a duty to ensure the safety of our family."

"I passed through the tournament-"

"And what spectacular thing did you do? Beating criminals and common soldiers are one thing, going through the training of an elite guard is another. Today you will go through a version of such a training session. Should I deem you worthy, you will keep your current occupation. Should you fail or perform unsatisfactory, you will be forced to resign and shall be sent on your way." After a bit of silence on both sides, Garen decides to speak up.

"Aunt Tianna is this necessary? I have seen the man fight before, I am sure he doesn't need to undertake-"

"He does. The past week, he has been doing what? Eat, sleep, use our coin and accommodation as he pleases? Seeing as what is expected of him in the following year, don't you think that he should be able to handle such training?"

Garen stays silent as he points over to the open field nearby. The two of you begin walking over there, Lux and Tianna staying behind and the 4 soldiers following close by to Garen. You already know what will follow.

"So, I suppose I will have to undergo some sort of fighting session now, right Garen?"

With a sigh, Garen nods. "I did not want to get my aunt Tianna involved in this, however, the moment she heard that a new guard was assigned to her niece, she rescheduled all of her meetings and came to see you."

"Am I that important?" You ask, a bit surprised by such an action.

"No. At least for her, that is. What is important is Lux. She doesn't want her safe for her well-being, but rather for that of the Crownguard family and Demacia. Our aunt would love to have her on a short leash, that's why she has been constantly trying to appoint one of her men as a personal guard. However, all failed the elite test. When she learned you got the job without the test, just through the tournament, which she even missed due to some work outside of the city, she got furious and demanded you to be put through it as well."

"I see. What will this training consist of?"

"Well, I shouldn't tell you, however, I like you (Y/N). You seem like a reasonable and nice man. I wouldn't trust my sister to some common soldier." You are pleasantly surprised by that confession and manage a little smile, even though you are worried as all hell. Garen keeps on talking. "You will be faced with the task of defeating 4 of our elite guard in combat." You clear your throat after hearing that. Four?! Of the Elite Guard?! They are on a whole nother level compared to you!

"Uh... What does defeat mean?"

"Most likely kill, I'm afraid. This is my Aunt Tianna we are speaking about and she will not tolerate any weakness. As noxians say, 'Exploit every weakness.' These four are great men. They know what they can face in such trials and are ready to give their lives for it." he pauses for a while and sighs. "I know it will be even harder for you this way, but could you try not to kill them if it comes to it? I promised their families to try and keep them safe or give them an honorable death. Imagine what they would think if their sons and daughters died in the capital of Demacia to some mercenary. No offense."

"None taken. I understand your concern, Garen. I will try my best, but can't promise anything."

"Thank you, (Y/N). May you succeed in your battle."

With those words, Garen stops walking and goes back to Lux and Tianna, where he stands and watches. The four soldiers unsheathe their swords and you decide it would be best if you did the same. They circle you, weapons lowered, awaiting command. You use that time to calm yourself and study them. You have learned that having correct information about the enemy is crucial before entering a fight. Two males and two females. The men are both taller than you and probably heavier, while one of the women is as tall as you and one shorter. Such a variety of sizes would make it difficult to dodge and block hits from them, as you would need to cover different angles of your body for everyone, besides the two men who appear to be similar in everything. Maybe twins? You could use this to your advantage if the opportunity presents itself. The women are wearing lighter armor than the men, which is understandable. That means they would be swift but easy to cut, while the men would be slower but hard to injure. All of their equipment appears to be in pristine condition, as expected of a high ranking Demacian soldier. You curse silently. No tricks this time, or at least no easy ones to pull off. No magic either, as using such would get you in big trouble. From what you know of such teams, they usually fight in an organized manner, aiding the attacks of others, blocking for their allies and forcing the target into an uncomfortable position where he or she can't block or do much. You have to avoid that at all costs. Your armor isn't metal, so you can't tank a direct stab without some serious consequences.

Several seconds pass in silence. You look in the eyes of each one of the soldiers and all besides one of the women salute you. You nod back and ready yourself.

"BEGIN!" You hear Garen shout, and you immediately get attacked from four sides at once. You were expecting that, however, so you parry the jab of one of the brothers and use his motion to slide away from the group, cutting at the side of the man's chest plate, hoping to cut the leather straps most chest pieces had there. To your annoyance, this one isn't one of those, so your blade just slides off the demacian steel scratching it badly. You, along with all of the soldiers quickly recover as they rush back at you. The women try to circle you while the men push you from the front. You realize that if you don't take the female warriors out, you will die pretty fast. You quickly side-step towards the woman to your left, hoping to catch her off guard. You succeed, however, the man reacts and parries your attack for her, before punching you in the stomach with his iron fist. You cough in pain and somehow manage to roll away from the overhand swing of the other man, which would have cut you in half. 'They fight with the intent to kill.' You think to yourself as you try to get your breathing back to normal. Suddenly, you realize that you only see three people in front of you, the woman getting her footing back and the two men rushing towards you. Hoping you aren't too late, you duck and spin to the left, raising your free hand in a fist as you do so. The other woman misses you by a little, however, she doesn't seem to expect your immediate punch, which hits her in the back of the head. It doesn't hurt her, due to her iron helmet, however, it confuses her and makes her stumble forward. You instinctively kick at her feet, knocking her down on her face and move in with a kick to her head, trying to knock her out. Before you can, however, you hear the noise of moving armor close to you, so instead, you jump over her and turn around, only to see the male soldier whiff a stab to where you just were. He assumes a defensive position over his comrade, so you turn your attention to the other two, who appear to be trying to circle you again and attack from the flank. 'This won't do! I have to take the initiative and take someone out!' You think to yourself.

You suddenly leap towards the man with, feinting a stab, which makes him stop and block while provoking an attack from the woman next to him. You turn the stab into a slash and rotate and the woman. She manages to redirect her strike into a flimsy block, which barely saves her, however, it knocks her down. The man tries to ram you with his soldier, but you sidestep it and sweep his feet. It doesn't knock him out, however, his stumble gives you enough time to act. You kick the sword of the woman out from her hands, grab her cloak and raise her head with it and slam your fist into her. She reaches for her nose with a whelp, but only manages to raise her hands before fainting. You realize you spent too much time on her and try to roll away, however it is too late. You feel two slashes over you, one through your back and one at your waist. You shout in pain as you roll away. You see the man and the woman standing over their fallen comrade, the other male warrior quickly rushing over you to finish you off. Luckily, your leather armor took some of the damage for you, so you estimate the wounds to be nothing more than flesh cuts. Still, every movement you make now pains you which is uncomfortable. You try to ignore it as there is no time to recover. The three of them almost immediately attack you after seeing that their friend can't get back up.

You are beginning to feel more and more exhausted from all the dodging you do. 'More fighting, less running around. They are just tiring me down.' You tell yourself as you barely duck under a swing from one of the men, sidestep a slash from the woman and parry and cut down from the second man. You see the woman running to your left side and the men pushing against you with matching overhead swings. You decide to try and outsmart them. You throw yourself at the men, parrying both of their swings with great effort, your hands shaking from the sheer force you need to keep the sword from getting knocked out from your hand. You expect the woman to be going for a backstab, so you shift your weight over and use it all to kick blindly at where you guess the girl will be. You guess correctly, however, she didn't go for a stab but for a swing, which she managed to land even after getting kicked in the stomach, cutting your thigh pretty badly. You use all of your strength and push the men back, then turn around at the still recovering woman and hit her with what you believe to be your best uppercut in a while, which hits her right in the face, throwing her off her feet and tumbling onto the ground, knocked out.

No rest for the wicked, however. You manage to spin away from one of the remaining guard's swords, however, the other one is coming straight at you, so you force yourself to block it with your handguard. It cuts you pretty bad and you realize that you are a bloody mess. You have to finish this fast before you bleed out. Using a tiny bit of your magic, you freeze the blood in your wounds, sealing them for a bit, just to give you some extra time. You know your limit's though, and you know you are tougher than most people, so you keep fighting the two opponents. Swords clash, sounds of steel against steel fills the estate and for a moment the only thing you perceive is the battle itself. No pain, nothing besides the swords dancing around you and the one in your hand. Even that battle fury couldn't stop you from feeling the exhaustion slowly creeping into your body, nor the sweat that fell into your eyes, nor the fact you were getting lightheaded. Suddenly, your experienced eyes catch one of the men making a mistake. He parried your sword s bit sloppy, which knocked it down a bit too much. You immediately act, almost instinctively. You ram his friend with your shoulders, which does little, seeing as how he is so heavy. He manages to lightly cut your back, however, it gives you enough time to step on the sword of his friend. He didn't expect it, so he pulled it up fast, which makes it bend badly. He drops it, however, doesn't manage to dodge your kick, with hits him in the stomach, where there isn't much but chainmail. He coughs and grabs his stomach before you hit him hard in the face. It doesn't knock him out, though, he simply falls cursing. You sloppily block his friends hit, then use your momentum to kick his face with full force. He yelps and stops moving. His brother looks at you and you are surprised to see him hesitate before engaging you head-on. 

After all the teamwork, you didn't expect for these soldiers to be so good in a true duel. However, you were far from right. The man was close to an expert, feinting, cutting, stabbing, parrying and dodging blow after blow. You try to keep up, but the usage of your magic and the physical feat you pulled until now, combined with the blood loss, have left you almost unconscious. You somehow hold your own against the man for a long while, pushing back against him with attacks of your own, then going back, defending against his fury of blows. The grass around you has blood splatters around it, most of which is yours. You manage to get behind the man with a dodge and see his cloak. 'Forgive me, brother.' You think to yourself as you grab it and pull back with all your remaining strength. The man didn't expect it and falls heavily on his back, knocking his breath out. before he can react tho, you already kicked his face, sending him rolling away unconscious.

You stand there for a second, before turning your gaze towards the 'audience'. You wipe your sweat and blood off your face and see Lux with her hands covering her mouth. Garen, on the other hand, is smiling, his face showing pride, which makes you smile yourself. And finally, you look at Tianna, who is looking at you, her face not showing anything. That kind of pisses you off, so you throw your sword forward and shout at them:

"There you go! I did it, what now? You're gonna make me fight Jarvan the bloody fourth to earn a fucking bed?" With that, you spit some blood out onto the grass and pick up your sword. As you begin to walk over to them, limping heavily from the cut on your leg.

Suddenly, your legs give out and you stumble forward, only to be caught by Garen, who helps you back up. He brings you closer to his Aunt, who is looking at you with... interest in her eyes? She gives off a completely different feel when you look at her. After a while, she speaks.

"Well done, soldier. I see my nephew made the right choice to appoint you here." She says, grabbing you by the shoulder. "You used trickery here and there. That is not preferable, but we will need someone who can exploit every opportunity he gets in battle, willing to risk everything to achieve victory. You took a substantial amount of punishment and never backed out, and even managed to stand your ground in a duel just as well as in a team fight. You also seem to value a fellow soldier's life, even though they meant to kill you. I am pleased to see you know the value of the Demacian Elite Guard... and your friends." She looks back at Lux and says. "You have a great guardian, Lux. I hope you understand that." 

Lux comes closer to you and uses a white handkerchief to wipe away the blood on your face. You are not sure, but you think her eyes are a bit watery and her hands are shaking. Could be your blurred vision though. She simply nods, without looking at Tianna. Garen pats your back and whispers to you "I knew you could do it, brother." You are feeling great and see a group of people rushing to you, who you assume to be medics. One of them appears to be holding a giant string instrument, a woman with blue hair and blue clothes.

"I will be looking forward to our next meeting when we will discuss the important matter because of which I put you through this test." She looks back at the medical team that is rushing towards you. "I trust that our healer Sona will have you up and back in action tomorrow morning."

You smile and faint happily, Lux's face being the last thing you see before falling unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you have it! Our main character went through a big fight today, however, he earned the respect of many today. An interesting quest is to be placed upon him soon, which will force him to work together and encounter many of the League of Legends characters, while bonding with Lux more and more. Hope you are looking forward to it as much as I am!


	7. A Bright Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You awaken at night, with your wounds partially healed. Lux is there, as expected and after a short chat, briefs you up on her recent orders. What did Tianna task you to do?

You wake up in your room, dimly lit by the rays of moonlight that are coming through your window. It is closed, which is normal as the nights in Demacia are chilly. For a second, you don't remember why you are here, but then it comes back to you. The fight, the four guards, Tianna Crownguard. You move your arms and flex your shoulders around, to test how much your wounds have healed up and, to your surprise, they appear to be almost fully mended. The same goes for the scar on your wrist with which you had blocked one of the swords. From what you see, there even aren't any stitches. How the hell did you heal in such a short time? Unless... How long have you been sleeping? A little bit distressed, you shuffle out of your bed, only to crash into something heavy. After a loud thud, you roll onto the floor. As you raise your head, you notice the remains of a makeshift bed, which was made out of a couple of chairs placed next to each other with some blankets on top. You notice that the usual clothes of Lux laid out on the table nearby. Where is she though? You look back down and see a sleepy Lux trying to wake up on the ground. With a startled yelp you leap backward onto your butt, crawling away from the entire mess.

"(Y/N?....)" She says as she stumbles onto her feet. She is wearing some sort of pajamas made of white cloth. At least you think it's white, the light isn't enough to tell.

"Sorry, Lux! I'm so so sorry! I didn't see you in the dark and crashed into your... bed?"

"No, no, it's fine! You just woke me up from a... great dream." She says with a sigh.

Feeling extremely bad, you stand up and help her up as well. Such bad luck! "Again, I am sorry. Want me to lead you to your room? I am feeling fine, no need for you to stay with me." You ponder for a bit and add. "Unless you want to, of course." Even in the dark, you can feel the questionable look she gives you. You hurry to explain. "You being in a higher stance than me, I felt bad for telling you what you should do, that's all."

"Huh... Alright then, however, my back is sore from those chairs. Can we go to my room for a bit? I want to brief you up on something and also really miss my comfy bed..."

"Yeah, of course!"

With that, the two of you enter the room next to yours. This is the first time you enter inside of it, now that you think about it. It isn't anything special, though. A fancier bedroom than most, that is all. She enters and lays down in her bed, pointing to a chair nearby. You pick it up and place it next to her, taking a seat. She summons a tiny light through her hand that illuminates only the two of you and the nearby parts of the room. That's when you realize you are only wearing your pants- the bloodied ones from the test.

"I should probably go and get dressed, Lux. I will be right ba-"

"No, there is no need!" She suddenly says. You look at her questionably. "B-Because... uh... what if someone sees you in the hallway? It will be way too suspicious!"

After thinking for a bit, you answer with: "Yeah, that seems logical enough. Didn't think about it in such a way."

You go back to sitting next to her. After a bit of silence, she finally speaks up/

"Are you truly alright, (Y/N)? You took quite a beating yesterday..." She asks you with a worried expression.

So you were asleep only for a single day. Demacian healers know their stuff, huh? "Yeah, I think I am fine. Nothing but a few new scars to add to the collection." You say with a chuckle.

"She shouldn't have done that to you... Why couldn't Tianna simply trust Garen's judgment and had to put you through such a test?"

"I guess she needs to see something for herself to make sure it's good enough."

"You could have died." She says as she takes her hand out from under the blue blanket and runs it over the new scar you got on your hand, her touch as warm as always, even in darkness.

"But I didn't, right? No need to think about it too much if nothing too bad came from it, I say!"

"I... I guess so... still, please don't risk your life for me again, okay?"

"That's... kind of my job." You say, looking at her a bit confused. "Plus, there are plenty of guards around the place. Not like me dying would do any-"

"Of course it would do something! I will lose the only person who ever understood me! And I will lose a dear friend..." She says, looking into your eyes.

"Woah... didn't realize I was so important all of a sudden..."

Lux stays silent for a few seconds before she answers quietly. "Of course you are. As I said, you are the only one who ever understood how I am, (Y/N). I was truly thinking I would turn into an evil witch and kill my friends and family. I was about to flee from everything I knew to protect it, but you came. In the past week, you have shown me so much. I have you to thank for still being here... For being alive, even!"

The two of you sit there, in the light of her little wisp, for a while, silent. Well, you meant more to Lux than you expected! Now you feel bad for making her worry so much before. You probably aren't the best friend in the world. Still, this is the first time since you lost your family when you have felt needed by someone. It makes you feel all warm and happy inside. Kind of like having a purpose again... With that, you smile at her and answer.

"Well, thank you for that, Lux. I am glad you enjoy my company as much as I do yours. I will try to stay out of danger as much as possible from now on if it will make you happier... Well, since we are on this topic, we might as well clean things up. You also meet a lot to me, Lux. I have had so much fun in the past week. Taking a break from constantly trying to survive, speaking with someone decent again... It's as if I have a purpose again, you know what I mean. So, I wanted to thank you for giving me such an opportunity."

She smiles warmly at you after you say that, and again, it makes you feel warm inside again. You have forgotten how good it felt to have someone who cares for you or even simple friends, as the last year or two of your life have been rather lonely.

"Anyway, about that thing you wanted to tell me..."

"Oh, right, got a bit carried away! Well, my aunt gave me a quick rundown of what she requires of us. After about a month or two, once spring begins, we are to be sent away from Demacia on a mission. The High Council is in dire need of allies. We will be a part of a team that will be sent out to nearby potential friends to form bonds with them, that would benefit Demacia in the defense of the kingdom. The details aren't anywhere near fleshed out, though. We know neither the path we will follow nor the people our squad will be formed of. One thing is sure though, as soon as the opportunity presents itself, we will begin the expedition."

"Woah... that's such a big task! Why would she be sending us, out of all people."

"Aunt Tianna isn't sending us. We are simply to be a part of a team, tasked with such an objective."

"And we are to leave in roughly two months?"

"That's right!" She says cheerfully.

"You seem awfully excited about facing the dangers of the outside world." You say with a chuckle.

"Well... all my life I have dreamt of adventure and traveling. I can't help it!" She says, shyly.

You think about what has just happened and how such a journey could be threatening to Lux. You don't want to lose more people close to you. Not after what happened with your wife... You sit silently for a while, thinking whether you will be able to protect Lux from the dangers that were always lurking outside city walls.

"(Y/N)? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just...I don't want you to get hurt while chasing your dreams." You say as you look at her.

Lux smiles at you and answers. "No need to worry... I have you as a guard, right?" She says with a warm giggle.

"Huh, I guess you do!" You chuckle as you assume a puffed up pose, sarcastically. "I am kind of a big deal after all!"

Lux laughs at you and says "But of course, my knight in shining-" she looks at you. "-leather pants?"

"I don't need armor if they can't hit me!" You carry on with the little joke.

"All of those scars prove otherwise. How did you get them?"

After a brief pause, you answer. "I tried knitting?". Lux bursts out laughing and you can't help to join in, your tough guy persona gone.

After a while, Lux looks at you curiously and says. "Want to chat a bit? I recently began to find it difficult to go asleep... the guards are saying some nightmare-inducing monster might be on the loose around Demacia..."

"it's a possibility. Now that I think about it, I have recently begun to have sleeping problems too... Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"

She looks at you cheekily and says "How about a bit of Truth or Dare?"

"Sure! Although I don't think we could act out any dares right now..." Luckily, you two haven't woken up anyone yet. It would be best not to push your luck.

"True... How about we just ask each other questions then?" Yeah, you could go with that. It would help you to get to know Lux better.

"Sure! Go ahead." She gets comfy in her bed and begins to think.

After a bit of thought, Lux finally speaks up. "What is your favorite color?"

"Just that?"

"I thought we could start simple!"

"Alright. I think my favorite color might be green... although blue is also pretty nice!" Lux nods, satisfied with your answer. It's your turn to ask her something. After a bit of thought, you manage to think of something interesting.

"Have you got a place you really want to visit?"

"Hmm... I think I would enjoy going to Ionia... That entire place seems so exotic!"

"Yeah, from what I have heard, it is pretty cool, but also dangerous." Lux thinks for a bit before asking you another question.

"Do you dream when you sleep?"

"Not often. I usually dream of cats."

"Cats? Why cats?"

"I like cats."

"Have you ever had a cat, (Y/N)?"

"I did! I think it was simply named 'Little Cat' due to it being smaller than usual."

Lux raises an eyebrow and chuckles. "Talk about original..." You laugh alongside her, memories of your cat flooding your mind. She was pretty cute, however, you left her at your house when your wife and son died. Little Cat seemed to enjoy it there and there was plenty of food for her to hunt, so you didn't worry about her health. As you remember your wife, a new question comes into your mind. You smile and turn to her.

"Do you have a crush on some-" You stop mid-sentence, seeing a sleeping Lux, comfortably sleeping. When did she drift off? Did you think about your cat for so long?

As you sit next to her, you hear some sort of distant screaming. You identify it as a cloud of crows swooping around a place in the nearby fields. You go back near the bed and take another seat. Weird, for crows to be outside at such a time... Suddenly, Lux begins to breathe heavily and to squirm in her bed. You look at her, a bit worried. Probably another nightmare. They have been getting more frequent recently... You wonder if the tales the guards told about the nightmare beast were true. While traveling you have heard a lot of stories about demons, causing fear and nightmares. You just hope this isn't such a case, as demons are a pain in the ass to banish. As you are consumed in thought, you feel something warm grab your hand. You see that Lux has reached out and took hold of it, her squirming slowly coming to a halt. She is soon sleeping soundly, a tiny smile on her face, and a similar one on yours. Man, are you glad that you are finally a part of someone's life again! You stay like that for a while, until you make sure she has stopped having nightmares and quietly exit the room. As you lay in your bed, you think about Lux and her warm touch, smile and look in her eyes. You will make sure she is prepared for the dangerous journey the two of you have ahead of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is getting out of hand! Now there's three of them! I am surprised by how fast I can get these out lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the read! Sorry if it seems a bit off here and there, I am still practicing how to write dialogue. In the next one, we will be meeting the first member of the future party. Also, I tried to show how much Lux meant to our main character and how much he means to her. Anyway, we will see how things turn out in the future!


	8. A Normal Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a couple of days of inactivity, Lux finally comes around to showing you her favorite star-gazing spot, which happens to be located in the mansion's forest. Until it comes time for the two of you to go there, however, Lux has some errands to run and you have to go along with her, as the guard you are.

A few days roll past, nothing interesting happening. You and Lux keep training in secret at the forest in the back of the mansion, as usual, and it appears to have become a habit for both of you. No words have come to you from Tianna for now, which you think might be a good sign. You don't want to leave this place anytime soon, not with the amount of food, drink, fun and friends you have here. You have begun to feel more and more at home in the small comfy room you call a bedroom, the long hallways, the cheerful servants cleaning here and there, the forest where Lux uses her magic and the smell of freshly baked breakfast every day. Nevertheless, duty calls and you will leave without much hesitation if ordered so by Lux or her aunt. For now, you plan to enjoy it as much as possible while it lasts. Maybe you should spend more time drawing the place itself. Your notebook is full of different sketches of the places you have been to, which are a lot. Good thing some traveling wizard enchanted it for you for a small price, which made it have infinite pages. It now consists of tons of crudely drawn pictures of locations that caught your eye. You feel like it is a good way to remember something by drawing it thoroughly. That way you engrave it in your mind. You pick up the little journal and sit on the bed, looking at the little balcony, the wardrobe, the desk and the weapon's rack on the wall. You sketch for about an hour or so while waiting for everyone to wake up, as you are a bit of an early bird. Your art-style is an interesting mix between crude, fast lines, mixed with details that aren't usual for such a harsh way of drawing. You like it though. You like the noise the charcoal pencil makes against the rough paper pages and the way you forget about anything else while you draw.

Indulged in your work, a couple of hours pass. You are just about done when you hear a quiet and gentle knock on your door, accompanied by a soft "(Y/N)?" You close the journal and quickly stuff it in your pack. If lux ever got hold of it, you probably wouldn't see it for a solid 3 months before she goes through all of the drawings and makes you tell all of the stories. Maybe you could give it to her as a birthday present one day, but for now, you need it for entertainment. You walk over to the door, wearing a simple shirt and pants and open it to Lux, who has a small, coy smile on her face.

"Good morning! How did you sleep tonight?" Her smile fades into a worried expression at that question.

"Well, The nightmares have been getting worse and worse in the past few days..."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I... I don't know. I'm not sure if I want to remember them too much. In some of the nightmares, I lose Garen, in some, I lose my entire family and in some, I lose you."

"Hey, I am not pushing you to tell me any of this. How about we get something to eat to brighten you up a bit?"

She smiles at that and says: "Yeah, let's!", grabbing you by the hand and leading you over to the bench outside. Passing by the kitchen, you grab some freshly baked food from the cook, who smiles at you cheerfully. He is quite old, but the type of old man who loves telling and listening to stories, so he often comes and listens to your tales alongside Lux when the two of you chat in the main room. His name is Bernard and he used to be a mercenary like you in his youth, so it is safe to say the two of you have a lot in common. You enjoy his company quite a lot. He kind of is what you would like your grandfather to be if you knew him. You seat yourself in front of Lux at the tables outside and drink some tea while she eats her breakfast. She appears to return to her normal, cheerful self after a bit of chatting and the two of you spend the rest of the day looking through maps in the library of Demacia, trying to pick one that is small enough but also well made for your journey. You notice that Lux has an obvious interest in some of the books that are under the forbidden section, which you can only guess to be magic. Sadly, you can't do much for her when it comes to those books, as you have no right to access them either. In the end, you fail to pick a good map and go home, taking a detour through the town markets.

The market is unexpectedly big. You would have thought that in a strict city such as Demacia, trading wouldn't be so chaotic, but it feels just like any street fare you have been to. Smiling and sleek merchants are shouting their wares, each one claiming to be better than the last and people haggle over prices everywhere. There are all sorts of items on display, from obviously fake 'magic tools', to animals, such as hens and pigs, there are some weapons which are being sold by some blacksmiths on the side, there are clothes from different cultures, some food, and even some musical instruments here and there. Lux spends what seems like an eternity browsing through the different offers and haggling with the merchants. All the while, you haul her recently bought items behind her, feeling like a pack mule. It is worth it though, as seeing Lux so cheerful and happy and full of life, makes you feel pretty good too. It gets closer to dusk by the time she is finished with the shopping, and you are getting pissed from carrying all of those packs of groceries around. As you make your way to the mansion, Lux suddenly stops. You look up and notice 3 figures emerging from the dark in front of her. She quickly backs up next to you as you leave the packets of goods on the ground behind you. You reach for your sword but remember that you left it in the residence. What a dumb idea that was! You shouldn't have thought crimes weren't common in Demacia. The three figures approach you and the first one starts saying something about how they wouldn't hurt us too bad if you simply gave them all of your possessions. You don't listen to them too much but simply whisper to Lux "I will take care of this. No magic, ok?" She hesitantly nods. As the first guy is still talking, you quickly dash forward and punch him square in the face, making him tumble straight into unconsciousness. His two friends attempt to grab you, however, you are way stronger than them and twist their hands until they let go. After that, you manage to punch them into submission in under a minute, not even letting them pull out their knives. During that fight, Lux had gone to call the guards, which were there as you finished and took the criminals into custody. Lux sticks close to you all the way until you reach the Crownguard mansion.

"You put yourself in danger to protect me again..." She says with a bit of anger in her voice.

"That's what I am here for, Lux. I am literally a guard." You answer as you bring the stuff into her room and help her unpack them and order them around.

"I know... I just feel bad whenever you do it."

"Hey, nothing as simple as street thugs can hurt me. You saw what happened to them"

She smiles at you gratefully and answers: "I did... I feel safe with you around. Also, thank you for helping me around today. I had way more fun than usual! Thank you for carrying the bags too. You are quite useful, you know that?"

"I... Thank you I guess? I hope it doesn't become a habit though. To be fair it was quite annoying, carrying those for THREE HOURS."

Lux giggles playfully as she places the final item she bought - a little statuette of a kitty, on the shelf over her bed. "By the way, (Y/N), do you want me to show you to my star-gazing spot tonight? I have nothing better to do and the sky is so clear now! I have been meaning to show it to you for quite a while now, right?"

"Huh, now that you mention it, you did want to show me such a place. Well, I don't have anything better to do, so I guess Bernard will have to live without some stories for today!" 

She smiles again and as you turn to leave her room, she suddenly pulls you closer and plants a little kiss on your cheek. You look at her, questionably, and she answers, a bit embarrassed. "F-For all the help you were today. See you soon!" And with that, Lux shuts the door hastily. You chuckle to yourself and walk back to your room to get ready. Maybe all that work was worth it!

After dinner, you dress up in your usual clothes this time, picking up your sword as you go out. No need to take extra risks. You exit hastily with the excuse that you are going for a walk. You see Lux climbing down from her window as you go outside. She must have said she is going to sleep or something. You wait patiently for her to get down and when she does, you walk over.

"Hey. Hope you didn't strain anything there."

"Nah, I am fine. Let's not waste any more time!" With that, she cheerfully grabs your hand, her's as warm as ever and drags you toward the forest, a little light dancing at the tip of her staff, which illuminates the near surroundings. You pay it no mind, however, as the two of you walk deeper into the dark forest, crows can be heard coming closer and closer, as something evil moves through the shadows, bushes, and trees...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, it is time we got a real villain in here. I am guessing most of you know who this creature is, but for those of you who don't, let's just say he can play you like a fiddle and can make Lux's staff look like a simple stick in comparison to his powers... Sorry for the cliffhanger, lol, I hope you enjoy this unusually calm chapter. You know what they say, silence before the storm...


	9. A Nightmarish Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your gut feeling tells you that something is wrong, and you and Lux begin to make your way back to the Crownguard mansion. During the way there, however, you are distracted by familiar crying and are forced to relive past events you had thought long forgotten... Will you prevail against this new threat alone? Or is the help of a friend going to be necessary?

As you walk through the forest, you can't shake off a feeling of... dread that has been following you ever since the two of you entered the woods. You can't help but feel uneasy, your hand twitching towards the sword on your belt at every little branch crack and foliage shuffle, both of which appear to have become more and more frequent as you get deeper and deeper into the forest. Lux doesn't appear to be bothered by it, she seems to be quiet and you can swear she has been talking to herself now and again. Something is not right. You should go back, now. You pull lightly on Lux's hand and she turns around, a bit startled. 

"Is something wrong, (Y/N)?"

"Yeah... everything is wrong. I don't know if you have noticed or felt it, but I think things are going to go to shit real fast. We have to get back to the mansion."

"But- We are so close to the spot! It is just over there!" She points over to the big tree you have seen so many times from the colored windows of your room.

"I'm sorry Lux, but we have to get out of here. I know when I am in danger and my gut has lied to me only once before."

"I-But I really wanted for us to go up there... Are you sure? This better not be you just being lazy!"

You pull her closer and look directly into her eyes, dead-serious and quietly say. "I am. Please, listen to me and let's go back to the mansion, otherwise, I can't promise I will be able to protect you."

After she sees the grim and genuine look on your face and the grave way you said that sentence, Lux's face slowly goes into a frightened expression as she nods quietly and grabs your arm with both of her hands. You turn back and begin to make your way through the dark forest as fast as possible. Lux doesn't dare to summon her little light in case she attracts some unwanted attention, so you rely on the little rays of moonlight shining through the leafy ceiling of the woods to keep going. You step carefully, as the roots and the plants that have grown over all of the paths can easily twist your ankle and make you fall, which wouldn't be ideal in the situation you are in. You have a really bad thought circulating inside of your mind that you probably shouldn't tell Lux. The constant feeling of fear and dread, combined with the creepy noises around the woods, which appear to be greatly amplified basically scream that the creature who is troubling you is the demon who the Demacian guards were speaking about. You don't want to scare your friend even more, as you can practically feel her hands shaking, however, it might be a good idea for her to know what the two of you are up against. For now, you decide to keep your mouth shut and focus on getting out of here as swiftly as possible.

You can see the lights of the Crownguard mansion in the distance, which fill your heart with relief, however, you are still on high alert. No need to get cocky. Slowly but surely, the two of you make your way towards the opening to your home, almost stumbling over a fallen tree, almost invisible in the dim light of the covered up moon. Suddenly, you begin to hear a faint sobbing, coming from somewhere to the left of you. You turn around and raise your sword, Lux right behind you. Why do the cries sound so... familiar? You slowly lower your sword, as memories suddenly flood your mind. Memories you thought you had left behind. 

"T-Trika?" You slowly call out, your heart beating faster than ever before. You only hear sobs and cries and after a while, you hear the saddest 'Help me.' you have ever heard. "Trika!" You scream as you tear yourself off from Lux and rush into the dark forest, guided only by your ears. As you leave the shouting Lux behind, you charge through bushes and thorns, branches reaching out and grabbing your face, clothes, and weapon. You pull through with a desperate shout and roll onto a small patch of grass, similar to the one you and Lux train at. That doesn't matter now, as you quickly pick yourself up, you raise your eyes to see the blurry figure of your wife, sitting in the dark grass, crying. You see the distorted figure of the soldier who cut her down all that time ago and get up with a scream of pure despair as you rush up and crash into... nothing. You fall right through the image. You turn around and with your eyes full of tears you see the moment the love of your wife being struck down with a battle-ax, her beautiful light blue hair splattered with the blood that rushed from the open wound, her slender body shivering as it fell. You let a cry, full of agony as you rush over to Trika, trying to touch her with your hands, however, they just pass right through her. The only thing you hear from her is a quiet "You failed to save me, (Y/N)... again..." before she disappears completely as if she was ashes blown away by the wind. You look at the ground in disbelief, your eyes full of tears. What just happened? You reach over and pick up the sword you unknowingly threw away as you threw yourself at your wife. As you look up, you freeze as your eyes meet two burning red circles, glowing in the darkness... What the FUCK is that?! You try to get up, however, the unexplainable fear you experience has frozen you in place. You hear a distorted and disturbing chuckle from the direction of the creature, that sounds as if it came from the bottom of some well. The wind blows the tree branches over the two of you away and some light finally reaches the entity. You see a skinny figure, made from what appear to be tons of different metallic and wooden parts. It suddenly drops a little lantern from its right hand, which begins swinging slowly, illuminating it more. It appears to be stuck in some sort of a scarecrow pose, looking right at you. You manage to stand up, your legs shaking and the two of you look at each other for what appears to be an eternity until the lantern slowly comes to a stop. At that moment, you hear a crowd of crows flying by above you and something inside of you makes you raise your blade. Good thing you did, as the demon rushes at you with unimaginable speed, leaving you no time to react. Luckily for you, somehow you positioned the sword at a right angle and the creature's arms collide with it, making a loud bang as you wonder how the hell didn't your sword just break. It bounces back away and begins to chuckle again. Suddenly, it changes it's voice, making it sound like a distorted version of the one of Trika and says:

"(Y/N).... Please- Save- Meeee-" Pausing between words as if it finds it hard to speak. You are suddenly filled with rage because you realize it was simply toying with your feelings until now.

"You... You BASTARD! How dare you spit on Trika's memory like that!" You scream, charging straight at it, however, it simply dashes away, slicing through your belly as it does. Your armor takes most of it, although you do feel a little cut forming underneath.

As you keep on trying to hit the demon, it keeps on dodging and counter-attacking. Sometimes you block the hits, sometimes your armor tanks them, however, you don't appear to do any damage to the entity. Slowly, you realize this is a fight you cannot win. You slowly begin to feel more and more exhausted and as the creature laughs once again, you fall to your knees. You notice it begins to uncover it's chest, a cage full of pure blackness inside, as more and more burning red dots begin to open up. Are those eyes? You don't care. It begins to emit a weird noise as a ray of what appears to be some sort of spectral energy slowly manifests itself between the two of you. The flow of that energy seems to go to the demon and you begin feeling worse and worse with every passing second.

Suddenly, a ball of light hits the demon in the back, sending it stumbling over in front of you. You snap out of it when the beam disconnects and take the opportunity to drive your sword through its head. It lets out a scream that fills you with terror as it shoves you back and attempts to flee. However, another ball of light roots it in place, as you finally see a terrified but determined Lux stumbles out of the forest. You get up and drive your sword through the back of the beast this time, and it releases a deafening scream that makes your ears ring. However, you begin to twist and turn the weapon inside of him, trying to get revenge for what this piece of shit made you go through. The light around it suddenly disappears and he scratches at you furiously. You manage to block most of the attack and as you feel Lux's shield envelop you, you charge him with your shoulder, knocking it down once again. You begin to slash and stab furiously at the ground, at the bastard that caused you to relive that terrible moment, your sword cutting some of the black tentacles that tried to lash onto your from the cage that is its torso and your thrusts landing right in the core. It stumbles back up onto its feet and turns back towards you. Suddenly, as you are about to strike again, the demon changes into Trika and you freeze in place. 

"(Y/N)... don't hurt me... please! Have I not suffered enough?" Part of you knows it's a fake, however, another part of you begins to feel terrible.

You are about to lower your sword when suddenly a blinding beam of pure light annihilates the being in front of you. You jump backward as the faint screams of the monster seem to fade away into nothingness. You fall onto your butt and look at the steaming, blackened metal body parts that are the only thing left of the monster that you just fought. You hear the sounds of someone running and after a bit, Lux drops down next to you and says something. Maybe she was calling your name. It didn't matter. Your mind is still back there, to the moment you relived those terrible past events. You remember Trika, her sweet smile, the cute way she used tot alk and suddenly break down, giving Lux a tight hug, tears running down your cheeks. After a couple of seconds, she hugs you back and begins to whisper into your ears with a shaky voice: "It's okay... Don't worry (Y/N), it's okay..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a sad chapter for today. I felt like the main character's backstory wasn't expressed too well before, so what better way to reintroduce traumatizing events than the new reworked Fiddlesticks! He looked awesome and I just had to include him here somewhere. I don't know if this chapter came out the way I intended it to do, however I hope it was an enjoyable read. Also, we experienced another bonding moment with Lux! That's always great. Will our main character be able to finally let his feelings for his deceased wife Trika go? Only time will tell. For now, I hope you enjoyed this read as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have begun to feel inclined to write more of this, as I want to see where the story is going. That might sound weird, as I am the one who thinks it up, but I barely know what I am doing half the time and just go with the flow! I kind of feel like I am a reader who watches a Livestream of the story unfold, haha! Anyway, stay safe people and I will talk to you all next time!


	10. A Different Training Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new challenger appears! I achieved a lot this chapter. I introduced a new character which I like and think will benefit the story and finally gave our main guy a proper name. Let's hope you people like it! I picked it from some site that said some common Demacian names, lol. Anyway, as chapter number 10, this one is a long read, so I hope you have a bunch of time on your hands and enjoy reading through it! As always, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter!

After the encounter with the nightmare demon, Lux helped you get back to the mansion. On the way there, you made her promise not to tell anyone of what happened there, as you didn't want anyone to know so much about your past or about the fact that you had cried. You probably should have controlled your emotions better, but years of grief and regret came rushing out at the same time and it was a bit too much. Thankfully, Lux accepted and promised not to tell, for which you were quite thankful. She didn't bring the event up anymore too, so you had some time to get back on track without worrying too much. You spent your days exercising, reading, sketching different stuff and chatting to random people inside the mansion. Lux never pressured you for any details, however, you can see that she wants to know what those visions you saw were. You are beginning to suspect she doesn't buy your drop off story anymore. You will tell her the truth someday... just not now. Not so soon after that happened. Anyway, the good news you got recently is that Tianna has finally spoken to Lux through some letters and apparently she has sent someone special to meet you today. Lux didn't tell you anything too detailed, however from what you know, her aunt wants to focus on your combat abilities and help you develop a balanced fighting style. You don't believe you are an unskilled fighter or that someone could show you something you don't know about sword-fighting, however, it is better not to say that to anyone, as it will likely get Lux into trouble. And no one wants that! As the new day comes, you wake up, calm, and look around for your armor... which is nowhere to be seen? You look around the room, confused as to why it is missing. The servants don't touch your stuff unless you tell them to, so you doubt it is their fault. After a while, you decide that you have probably left it somewhere around the mansion and look for your sword... which is also missing! What the hell? You don't know anyone that would want to mess with you. You haven't pissed anyone off recently and Lux isn't the type of girl who takes personal belongings as a form of jokes. A bit startled, you rush out of your room.

You knock on the woman's door to no avail and with a couple of curses rush down the stairs. Passing by the kitchen, you grab a single sweet, as they are too good to pass up on and continue your search while eating hastily. None of the servants know anything about your problem nor anything about where Lux has gone. One boy wielding a broom, however, points out that he has seen Lux walk around the backyard recently, so after a quick 'Thank you, my friend!' you open the doors to the backyard of the mansion. You look around and see the usual scenery. The forest where you train with Lux now and then, the green field, the small stable in the corner, the place where you fought those elite guards... and Lux, standing there alongside a taller figure, who appears to be a woman. Your friend waves at you and you return the gesture as you make your way over to her and the stranger. As you get closer, you begin to recognize some of the features of the mysterious woman. She has dark hair, however, it appears to be dyed with a reddish color at the point where it opens up to her face. She is wearing Demacian clothing, the whole thing - white, gold and dark blue. Where have you seen her before? You can't remember, but you feel like she is someone you should recognize instantly. As you get closer, your eyes meet with hers and besides the sharp blue color they have, you see something challenging inside them. As if she was measuring you up. You don't like it when someone looks at you like that, as it usually means trouble.

"Hey, (Y/N)!" Lux says with her usual smile.

"Hello Lux..." You look over to the other woman, who is almost as tall as you, and you aren't too short. You decide to address her formally, just in case. "Greetings to you too, my lady."

"Greetings." She simply replies, still eyeing you up. You feel as if she is scanning every centimeter of your body. It is mildly uncomfortable. You decide to ignore it as much as possible for now.

"Uhm... right, where the hella re my stuff? I don't recall leaving them anywhere outside of my room..."

"Yeaaahhh... about that, my friend Fiora over here ordered them taken away from you until the two of you are done." Lux says with an unsure smile. You blink a couple of times and look at the woman beside her, looking for an explanation.

"You weren't worthy of neither of those pieces of equipment. Not the sword, nor the Demacian armor." The other woman says clearly and you hear a slight accent every time she pronounces the letter 'R'. It doesn't stop you from getting a bit pissed off though.

"Excuse me, but who are you to judge whether I can wield my weapon and wear my armor? I don't remember having trouble with using neither of them."

She steps forward and looks you in the eyes sternly. "I am Fiora Laurent, soldier!" She says sharply. Now you remember who she is! You give yourself an imaginary slap on the forehead for being dumb. She carries on. "A baby can also use a spoon, but does it manage to put the food in its mouth every time?" What kind of comparison is that?

"Uhh... No, I don't think so, but-"

"That's because it lacks precision... the same thing you appear to lack according to Lady Crownguard." You look at Lux confused, feeling a bit betrayed. She raises her hands defensively.

"Hey, don't look at me, she's talking about my aunt!" Oh. Now that you think about it, Tianna did mention that your fighting style wasn't clean or precise. You look back at Fiora and angrily ask:

"And why the hell have you come here? I was doing just fine without anyone stealing my stuff!"

"Lady Crownguard asked me to honor a favor I owed her and help you improve your swordsmanship before she gives you any more tasks. And I intend to keep my word and make you one of the best in Demacia."

"Alright... but how are we to train if I haven't got a sword?" At that, she chuckles and turns to a cloth bundle laying on the ground next to the three of you. 

"Are you insane? If we fought with real weapons, you would be bleeding like a pig and probably dead by the end of it all. From what I have heard, you are a great fighter, however, lack proper technique. You can't hope to stand up to me without some training at first! We wouldn't want you dead right? That would upset little Lux here." At that, Lux gets an irritated expression that you can't quite read and answers.

"Of course I will, he is a friend of mine!" At that Fiora chuckles and looks back at a very offended you, as you pick up a wooden replica of your sword from the cloth pack. Does she actually believe a couple of flashy moves will stop you from winning the duel?

"Listen, Miss Laurent-"

"Master."

"What?" You ask, baffled.

"Until we are done, you will address me properly. For now, I am your teacher." It takes a bit of your inner strength not to say something you will later regret.

"Alright then, MASTER, I don't understand why we are doing this. Do you know why I don't need so much precision? I don't fight that way."

"That's precisely why we are doing this. The difference between a butcher and a surgeon is exactly that: precision."

"A butcher cuts more though."

"A surgeon can cut less and do a lot more." She does have a point there, you have to admit, however How does that matter in a fight? I guess it's time to find out.

"We will see about that! I want my stuff back you know." With that, you assume your fighting stance. Fiora puts her left hand behind her waist and points a wooden rapier in your direction.

"Come get them. Also, know that I never hold back." Lux runs over and sits at the nearby bench with a couple of servants who came out to watch as well.

A couple of seconds pass before you charge at the woman, trying to faint an overstrike that you want to turn into a sweep. As you swing down, however, she parries the faint aggressively and steps into you, knocking you back and off-balance. You grunt and throw your sword at her's with full strength as fast as possible, desperately parrying her swift strike. The brute force you use somehow throws the light sword away from your face and you manage to shift your weight properly, spinning under a sweep from Fiora and regaining your balance. This time, you think a bit more. She is an aggressive fighter. A bit arrogant even, but judging from what she has shown, she has a reason to act this way. Against someone too aggressive, you should either try to match their offense or play defensively until they tire out. Neither of those is really an option here, though, because her weapon is lighter than yours. This means you can't wear her out, as her rapier is probably quite light and it will only lead to you getting tired. If you attack, you will be slower than her and take some serious damage. What do you do here? With a sigh, you raise your sword in it's starting position and rush at her once again, trying to stab her. It shouldn't be possible to block a direct thrust by a longsword with a weapon as thin as her rapier. She sidesteps swiftly, however, and drives the point of her sword into your side. You grunt in pain as you hear her say "Dead!" as she jumps out of your wide swing. This is really annoying! What do you usually do against opponents which you can't beat straight off... you wait. That's right! You have to try and analyze her fighting style before doing anything drastic such as going all in. You jump a bit from your left leg to your right and spin your sword in your hand. This will be a great challenge! First off, you have to test what she does when cornered. Up until now, she hasn't really defended, only counter attacked. Pushing her hard enough and making her fall back will allow you to see what she does in such situations and let you set up a plan against it. Now... how do you do that? You have to really catch her off guard in order to get her to such a state. She seems to be following your every move closely, so it will be hard to do so with normal attacks...if only you could knock her off her feet somehow... Wait. That's it! Who says you can't use your tricks against her? With a tiny smile, you charge her once again.

She assumes her battle position again, and you make a deliberate opening to your side, basically inviting her to dash and stab you again. She does as you think she will, side-stepping to the side as she tries to thrust her rapier into your guts. However, you previously noticed her rapier wasn't exactly sharp from all sides. It had a flat side, kind of like your double sided longsword, just smaller. You smack the rapier away with the back of your hand, hitting the flat part, knocking it away from your body and youshoot your leg down, placing it in front of hers. She seems visibly surprised by your movements as her sword-hand is thrown off to the side. Her feet collide with yours and due to her perplexion, she doesn't manage to regain her stance fast enough and falls to the ground. Without thinking twice, you thrust at her as fast as possible. She seems curious as she attempts barely dodges your blow. You carry on, pushing her as much as possible, your arms slowly becoming tired from the fast hits you are sending at her. You don't allow her to regain a propper footing and notice she relies solely on dodging when it comes to her personal protection, especially when dealing with a heavier sword, such as yours. That's great to know, people who dodge a lot can be tricked into messing up - either with their footing or with their dodging. Nobody is perfect and you have tricked many fast fighters into running into your sword by themselves, trying to dodge some ridiculous feint you somehowe pulled off. Your hand and back muscles are burning by the time you let Fiora properly recover. You can't believe it, but she seems to be out of breath and sweating. So are you however, and your gulps for air are much worse than hers. You see something flicker in her eyes and a small smile forming on her mouth. 

"You fight dirty, soldier."

"And you run a lot, Master."

"Huh. Such unrefined style."

"This style has beaten many opponents."

"I have no equal."

"We'll see about that."

You hear her murmer something to herself, her smile becoming a bit wider and you see ferocity in her eyes. You can't help but break a smile yourself, sweat dripping into your eyes. How you missed such fights! Duels were always your favourite battle type. Now, for the next part of your test, you have to test the way she attacks. Form what you have seen so far, she prefers to strike her opponent tactically, looking for openings instead of relying on a head on approach. She also appears to try to turn any attack move you make into a potential hit for herself. It's a great fighting style, as it makes every move you make potentially fatal. In order to find out precisely what she does however, you might have to take some hits. Wiping the sweat from your face, you rush into Fiora again, trying to faint a thrust into a diagonal cut. She immediately parries your thrust, not even letting you reach the part where you turn the move into something else and uses her momentum to knock you back a bit. That is enough for her, however, and in those moments you take to get your sword under control, her wooden rapier slaps you roughly into the neck. You stumble back, your hand holding your throat and begin to cough violently, tears forming in your eyes from the amount of pain that thrust put you in. You even feel some blood sipping between your fingers. How the hell did she manage such a hit? She isn't only agile, Fiora even manages to notice the best course of action in less that a second, reajusting her strikes in order for them to deal the most damage. Not even a second after, you hear a "Dead" come from her lips and suddenly, she has already stepped into range again. With a blurred vision, you try to stop her strike from landing, however she is way too fast and thrusts her sowrd into your ribs. You yelp in pain and roll to the side, barely clutching your sword in your hand, gasping for breath and gritting your teeth from the pain. You hear another "Dead" as she comes for you again. This time you don't even manage to raise your sword as she smacks your face with her rapier and flips you over, sending you rolling a couple of meters back. As blood beggins to drip from your nose, you try your best not to let out a wail of pain from the heavy hit you took. Alright. Taking hits wasn't a great idea. She really doesn't hold back does she? One thing you learned however. Don't drop your guard at any time, even after geting hit once. She seems to like to do fast strikes in quick successions, striking vital points in your body for maximum damage. Good news is, she seems to fight too much by the book. If anything unexpected was to happen, she would most likely be unable to properly counter it. Too much dueling, too little fighting outside of the arena you say. Let's try surprising her.

"Is that the end, mercenary boy?" You manage to hear through the banging that is going on inside of your head. You keep on staying on your knees, the same way you did before, however after a while you get back up and look at her. You have a weird idea that worked just once before. And you itnend to make it work again. You have to leave your face obviously open though. Praying for this not to be a mistake, you muster up the last of your strenght and lep at her suddenly, hands and legs close to the body, covering you all besides the face. With a little smirk, Fiora side-steps again and you see the blur that is her sword fly at your face full speed... before you open your mouth and catch the piece of wood with your side teeth. The practice swords are filled with clay or iron, you aren't really sure, so they simulate real swords when it comes to weight. You have done a similar thing with a real sword before and it broke your back tooth, which was then replaced by a local healer. This time however, it just hurts really bad. You let out a grunt as you swing at the baffled fiora with your sword, hitting her in the side of her stomach, sending her thumbling and rolling over to the side, her sword flying away along her. You curse in the air as you spit some blood on the ground. Fiora on the other hand, slowl gets up, sword in her right hand and cluthcing her side with her left. She raises her gaze and meets yours with... something scary in her eyes and a smile that you really didn't expect after such a hit. You hear her mutter something along the lines of "Fianlly... a worthy-" but the rest gets cut off as she coughs a bit and regains her posture. before you can ask if she is good, she dashes forward and stabs you in the chest again and sends you gasping for air back on the ground.

As you lay down, coughing and trying to breathe, you hear footsteps as Fiora comes over and looks down on you. You look back up at her... and smile. She smiles as well and begins to chuckle. You see happiness in her eyes, respect and something lese you can't quite describe... something like fulfillment? She begins to laugh happily and you join in. You missed fights such as this one so much! She offers you her hand and you grab it firmly, standing up, bloodied up and dirtier than a street dog. The two of you stay like that for a while, before she tells you:

"A rough diamond... you will make a fine soldier, mercenary!"

"I sure as hell will! I enjoyed this fight a lot, master."

"I enjoyed it too,..." she pauses and looks you up again before saying "...Derrick."

"What?" You ask, confused.

"That's what I will be calling you from now on."

"Why? My name is (Y/N)."

"Of course. But the fighter name you will use when we fight is Derrick. I want you to completely shift your mind to our battles when we do them. Use that name as an anchor."

"Derrick huh? I like it!" Lux says, who has now come next to you and placed arms on your shoulders.

"I... I guess it's fine to use it. I have never been sure that (Y/N) is my actual name. People just called me that for some reason and I stuck with it." You answer, looking at the two women confused.

"Then it stays! I always found (Y/N) a bit weird for a Demacian. Derrick might be a bit of a commoner's name, however it still sounds good." Lux says happily. "That was a great fight, you two! I really hope I will get to watch you more!"

"What happened to the 'Don't get yourself hurt' part, Lux? Weren't you worried about me? I got beaten up!" You tell her, a bit surprised by her desire to see you fight.

"I still am! In fact I will sew you up right after you wash yourself. However, when you are with Fiora and using wooden weapons I feel safe enough."

"What do you mean when he fights with me? I never hold back!" Fiora says angrily, looking down at Lux.

"Yeah, I know, however you wouldn't want to kill the only guard aunt Tianna ever approved of, right?" She answeres with a cheeky smile. Fiora nods slowly. "Plus it's really fun to see your precise movements clash with Derrick's tricks and unpredictable hits he has picked up form his travels. It is quite enteraining." 

The three of you head back towards the mansion. You feel like you made a friend you really needed in your somewhat mundane guard life. Let's hope the friendship lasts! From what Lux told you, every third day of the week, Fiora will come every third day to train with you until she deems you worthy for a true Crownguard Guard. You can't say you are unpleased about that turn of events. Nothing like a good sparring session! Plus, what just happened really prooved to you that you can learn a lot more about swor-figthing. And all of that will come useful once you and Lux leave for the task Demacia put on the two of you and the group of unknown fighters who will be joining you. Fiora goes home and you wash yourself in the river that runs throught he forest of the mansion. After you come back to your room, Lux enters with a sweing kit and begins to close the wounds on your chest, sides and neck. As she does so, you feel her warm hands touching your skin gently and it almost makes you ignore the slight pain of when the needle goes through your skin. After a while, as she gets to your chest, she suddenly asks:

"Hey Derrick?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you like that training session?" She asks quietly.

"Oh. Well, of course I like it. I have been itching for a proper fight for quite a while now and this really got me going. Why do you ask?" Lux stays silent for a while vefore she looks into your eyes, worried and says.

"I...I am just worried."

"About what? As you see, I didn't get too hurt. I don't think anything too serious will happen to me in these training sessions. Also-"

"I'm not worried about that! I mean I am worried about you getting hurt, of course, however... I don't want you to leave me because of Fiora." The two of you sit in silence for a bit,

"...Whyyy would I do that?" You aks, confused.

"Well, she is strong and tall and has red hair and is a great fighter just like you. I am a bit worried you might prefer her over a shorter blonde girl who isn't nearly as strong and is only able to cast some light tricks." She says, blushing.

You begin to chuckle and it slowly turns into a laugh. Lux looks at you, blushing and also angry and lightly punches your biceps. 

"What's so fun?!"

"Do you seriously think I would be here if every masculine woman I saw made my heart flutter?"

"I-I didn't mean it like that! Not like me being worried you will fall for Fiora and leave me-" She stops there however you are still laughing and you don't get to see her expression. She seems to be recovered by the time you compose yourself, though, so you carry on.

"Listen. You know about Trika, my ex-wife? She was exact opposite of a strong woman. She wasn't muscular, nor was she tall, nor was she tough and arrogant, always looking for a fight. She was kind, caring, she liked tot alk to me and liked to listen to my stories. She enjoyed watching me practice my fighting skills and was always smiling..."

Lux thinks about that for a couple of seconds before she completely gets a hold of herslef and looks into your eyes, seriously. "Then promise me one thing Derrick. Please don't leave me. Not after all you have thaught me and everything we have went through the past month."

You star at her for a little while and pull her in for a hug. She seems surprised at first, but the hugs you back. "I won't. Don't worry Lux." You stay like that for a couple of secodns before you point out:

"I might have blead onto your white top."

With a scream, Lux looks down at her white shirt, which is now stained from the still open chest wound Fiora gave you recently. She begins to panic over it and you begin to laugh at her and for a moment you feel nothing but hapiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, Fiora is here! I have not yet decided if the relationship between her and out boy Derrick will be anything more than simple friends. I think making it a romantic one would be a bit of a stretch, as Fiora doesn't want to get engaged in any relationships at all and Lux will somehow have to let Derrick be in love with multiple people. He doesn't feel like such a guy though, so I am not sure I will go for anything beyond friends with our two fighters! A sparring partner is something every warrior needs, after all. Anyway, I am slowly pushing towards something romantic between Lux and our main character and hopefully am not rushing things too much. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and as always, wash your hands and stay inside if possible! Stay safe people!


	11. A Trip to The Harbor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Chef at the Crownguard mansion has requested a new supply of fish to be brought in, as he is running low. Lux is a bit bored sitting around in the house and offers to go fetch them for him. He is happy for the help she offers and before you know it, Lux is dragging you out on another walk through the city, this time headed for the harbor. On the way there, you meet with a familiar face, you learn more about Lux and spend some quality time with her on the shore. A danger approaches, however, and you are given orders to prepare properly.

As the new dawn comes, you stretch your arms and legs as you get out of your bed. Looking through the window, the day appears to be sunny, as there are no clouds to be seen in the blue sky. You smile as you look out of your window, over the backyard of the mansion. The forest, the training grounds, the tables you usually break your fast at and the small stables on the far left side of the grass field. You enjoy your new home quite a lot, saying you don't would be a lie. You have great friends here, a comfy bed, good meals every day and of course, it gives you hope. It is great! You sigh happily and make your way to the wardrobe next to your bed, taking out the casual clothes you wear when nothing special is happening. A white shirt with short sleeves and an adjustable neckline, a couple of little ropes allowing you to tighten it if you so desire, however you leave it loose as it is rather warm today. You get the royal blue pants that came with the Crownguard Guard Outfit Lux gave you and put them on and finally, you slip on some common brown shoes that you bought when you were out shopping with Lux a couple of days ago because your old army shoes began to get way too smelly. You walk out of your tidy room and head downstairs. The servants smile and greet you cheerfully and you smile and greet them back. You look around and notice Lux standing in front of the kitchen, her arms leaning on the counter as she is chatting away with the cook. You make your way over to see what's up.

"Well, I can fetch them for you!" You hear Lux say, cheerfully.

"Really? You'd do that, Miss Crownguard? There's no need to trouble yourself with such-"

"No, no, it's fine! I wanted to get out of the house anyway!"

"Thank you so much for your help... My legs aren't as good as they were back then, heh." The old cook chuckles and Lux joins in happily. 

"Hey, Jerard! Good morning Lux!" You greet them as you stand next to Lux. She gives you a light hug with 'Good morning!' to accompany it. The cook gives you a little nod and you nod back. "What's up?"

"We are going on a little walk today! I offered to help our wonderful cook here with his supplies today. We are to go to the harbor and fetch him a supply of fish for tonight."

"Alright, that's fine with me. Let me just go and fetch my sword and I'll meet you here in a bit."

"Okay, I will go and fetch my cloak too, I wouldn't want any fishes or water splashing my clothes!" Lux says and rushes up the stairs. You follow close behind. 

Picking up your sword, you remember the last time you went shopping with Lux and the number of things you had to carry, so you look around and pick up your old backpack, just to be safe. You exit through the door and see Lux waiting for you in the hallway. She links her arm under yours and you feel like an actual guard for once. The two of you bid a farewell to the cook and exit the mansion. The roads of Demacian cities are well paved with clean rocks and this one is not an exception. The houses are beautiful, the roads are beautiful, the entire ambiance feels clean and you realize that walking through the streets of The Great City of Demacia is pretty cool! It brings a small, calm smile on your face. Lux seems pretty happy too and the two of you slowly but surely make your way down through the different streets and market squares. You decide to ask Lux something on the way there.

"Lux, can I ask you a bit of a personal question?"

"Only if I can also ask you one after!" She answers with a cheeky smile. You chuckle.

"Alright, fine! So, I have been wondering... does anybody else know about your..." You look around to make sure nobody is listening and decide to say it differently. "about your... specialty?"

Lux also looks around, before answering. "Yeah. My mother always knew about it, however, she has never told anyone, except that one time she hired a man to 'cleanse' me from my powers. I didn't allow it though, and the man has kept his word as nobody else knows about it... besides one statue."

You blink, surprised. "A... A Statue?"

"Yup!" She just says, without giving more information. You raise your eyebrows and shake your head. I guess nothing is impossible with this girl, huh.

She giggles at your reaction "Alright! Now it's my turn...Hmmm..." She thinks for a while and then looks at you. "Hey, I hope this doesn't bother you, but I have always wondered about this. What do you like in a girl?"

"What? Why would you ask that?"

"Because I want to know more about you! Listen, if you answer, you can ask me something else!"

"Uhm... Alright then. Let's see... Well, I guess I like girls who are good at heart. I have seen way too much bad in this world and having something to keep those thoughts at bay would be great! I guess I also like when a girl is kind. I don't think someone rough would match up with me too well, as I am not the kindest of people, so having someone to fill that gap would also be pretty good... I can't think of anything more that is specific... Just the basic things, for her to be pretty, to be unique, all of that. Is that enough?"

Lux stays silent for a second and answers with a smile. "Yup! I learned what I wanted! Now, it's your turn."

You ponder for a second and say. "Hmmm... What about you? What do you like in guys?"

"Ugh, I should have expected that. Well... I like people who are different, not the same thing I see every day, you know? I also really like it when I can freely talk to a guy, when he cares for your feelings rather than for the way you look. I also like it when a boy is kind. I don't enjoy the presence of assholes." She chuckles and you smile at that remark.

"Hey, Derrick, look! Isn't that Garen?" She points to the side and you see Garen and a couple of other soldiers walking through the square, looking around. Lux's brother notices the two of you and waves, smiling. He turns around to his friends and they stop, as he walks over to the two of you.

"Hello there! Where are the two of you going?" He asks as he puts an arm around your shoulder with a friendly chuckle. 

You and Lux also smile ad she answers. "Hey there Garen! I and Derrick are on our way to the fish market, down on the harbor nearby! We-"

"Wait. Who is Derrick?" Garen asks, confused.

"That... Would be me." You say, a bit embarrassed. He looks at you confused.

"(Y/N)? Why does she call you that?"

"Well, Fiora gave me some weird nickname, Derrick, and Lux decided to stick with it as (Y/N) is just what people used to call me in the mercenary group and I guess it sounds weird. That's why she decided to stick with it. Not that I mind."

"Huh... A bit of a commoner's name, however, it does fit you better than (Y/N), now that I think about it... Fine then! Every soldier of Demacia has to fit his country, and that includes a good name!"

"My thoughts exactly!" Chimes in Lux with a smile.

"Well, I won't keep you for too long, I just need... Derrick to come with me for a couple of minutes. You wouldn't mind me taking your pet away for a bit would you, Lux?"

"What?!" You and Lux exclaim.

Garen bursts out laughing and says "Just a little joke. In the army that's what we mockingly call personal guards! No offense, of course, friend!" You shake your head with a grin and go to the side of the street with a now more serious Garen.

"What's up?" You ask as you lean against the nearby wall.

Garen leans next to you and with a sigh, says: "I know you don't have it too easy with my sister. She can be a bit... demanding, let's say... However, there is trouble stirring up in the slums of Demacia, so I have to ask you to do something. There have been numerous assassinations of semi-important people of the Demacian higher-ups. I know you have a lot to do, with Fiora's training and all, however, I need you to stick as close to Lux as possible at all times. I don't care if she goes to the toilet, you have to guard the bathroom door. Connect your rooms somehow and keep watch during the night. Be on high alert. Always wear your armor and your weapons, always look at people with suspicion. I want to make it clear, that if any harm comes to Lux and you aren't there to stop it, well... Let's say I won't be all too pleased about it if you catch my meaning." You nod, with a serious look on your face.

"I have experience with low sleep nights and constant look-out. Let's say that I have been behind enemy lines a lot." Garen nods approvingly.

"So, Derrick, I can rely on you. I can rely on you to put your life on the line to protect my sister, is that so?"

"Of course. I have my orders and a duty. You can count on me, Commander Garen."

"Great. I am relieved to hear this, brother. Also, a bit of good news before I leave you to spend time with Lux. You have really impressed Fiora. She seems so happy ever since the two of you fought. She hasn't been like this in... in a very long time, now that I think about it. I have you to thank for that, as she is a dear friend of mine and seeing her happy for a change is great. Expect a little something to both help you protect Lux and as a token of my gratitude for everything you have done for Demacia. The same goes for Lux, actually. Ever since you came to her, she has been positive and cheerful, almost like she is a little girl again. Thank you for that."

You smile and scratch your head. "I aim to please!"

"And you succeed. Now, let me not strip you of your free time with Lux. Go and have fun, you two, and of course, keep your eyes peeled, alright?"

"Understood. Thank you, Commander."

With that, Garen gives you a pat on the back, waves at Lux and then goes around the corner with his soldiers. You go back to your friend and she links her arm under yours again and looks at you curiously. "What did Garen tell you?"

You ponder for a second whether you should tell Lux about the entire assassin deal, however, you realize that sooner or later you would have to stick to her at all times and connect the two rooms so you can hear everything going on inside there at all times and there is no way to keep it a secret. With a sigh, you begin.

"Well, he told me that Fiora enjoyed our sparring session. She is happy as of late and I am to blame for that."

"That's great! Why did he look so serious though?"

"Well... he did say something else as well. Recently there have been multiple assassination attempts on multiple important figures in the Demacian society. He tasked me to keep a look on you at all times. Garen gave me strict orders to accompany you wherever you go to and also to link our rooms in some way. I am to keep watch during some times of the night and to sleep closer to you in order to be able to hear and react accordingly if something happens. I hope you won't mind that too much."

"I see... Well, I don't mind it at all, however, won't it be troublesome for you? Staying up at night and all."

"No, don't worry about me. I am not the focus right now. Plus I am used to little sleep, let's say I have experience with watching my back at night."

"If you say so... Anyway, we are in the harbor! Let's get that fish crate and get back to the house to link the two rooms together."

You go to the fish market and find the fish order easily enough. It doesn't fit in your backpack, what a surprise, so you grab it under your arm and carry on. Lux decides for the two of you to stop for a bit at the harbor, at a little bench, overlooking the bay. The ships are spread on both of your sides, different sailors walking on and off them. Birds fly around in the sky and the sails of vessels can be seen in the distance. It would be perfect if the smell of fish wasn't so strong. This doesn't stop Lux from taking a little relaxing break as she leans against your shoulder and begins to tell you about her dreams to travel the world. You listen patiently and enjoy the moment as much as possible with a happy smile. Moments like these are one of the main reasons why you enjoy this place so much. You watch the sun for a bit and the two of you slowly make your way back to the mansion, the crate of fish under one of your arms and Lux holding onto the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, a bit of a chill chapter today, without any combat. Now you know what Lux likes in guys and she knows what you like in girls. It's great that the two of you match so well. Also, as you have seen, there is imminent danger on it's way to your peaceful life. How will Derrick handle it and will he be able to keep Lux safe? Let's hope so! As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, comment if you liked anything particular or if you want me to change something or have any suggestions. Hope you have a great day!


	12. Housework

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As you get back in the mansion, you and Lux, with the help of a couple of servants instantly begin work on the renovations of the place. You have let the personnel know about the entire situation and they are now also carrying a dagger with them at all times and are eager to help keep watch and help you with the renovations. After a bit of chatting, something quite unexpected happens!

As the two of you finally get back to the house, it is past noon and you drop the crate of fish on the counter of the cook with a tired sigh. Lux goes to take a bath and you use that time to look around your room and her bedroom, thinking about how you could connect them. The optimal thing to do would be to knock down the wall between the two rooms. You take off your backpack and head to the basement of the house to fetch some tools. On the way there, you ask some servants for their help in constructing... or rather deconstructing the wall in between the rooms of you and Lux. They eagerly come along to help you and the four of you bring out saws, nails, hammers, unused wood, axes and general tools to help you in the project. You put them in your room, as you'd rather not make Lux's room too dirty and there are less expensive things to knock over in yours. You look at the entire thing and decide the best approach would be to remove the entire wall, but just because it would look a bit odd like that, you decide to keep a little arc at the place where the wall currently is. You share your plan with the other men in the room and they seem to like the idea as much as you do. Without losing any more time, you get to work. First off, you go to Lux's room and take a look at the stuff she has placed on the wall you'd be tearing down. There are mostly different banners of Demacian houses, a little hanger for cloaks and some shelves, atop of which, she has ordered symmetrically little clay figures of what appear to be mystical monsters of all kinds. Did she make those herself? They look pretty cute, now that you take a closer look at them. You carefully move them to a relatively free shelf nearby and detach the banners, placing them on her bed. After you move the clothes hanger, you are just about ready to begin destroying the wall.

The initial cuts would have to be made with the axes, as you need a good starting point for the saws to begin cutting at. Now that you think about it, you could knock down the needed space roughly with the axes and then do the outline of the arc carefully with the saws. The servants are glad they won't have to spend too much time carefully cutting things with their saws and begin to get their arms ready for the heavy work before them, after all, the walls of the mansion are a solid fifteen centimeters thick, as they are made of big, Demacian wood. As you begin to lift the rather heavy axe, Lux enters the room and with a little gasp begins to look around the four of you, obviously excited about the entire ordeal.

"Can I try raising this axe, Derrick?" She asks, wanting to participate in some way. You chuckle and answer.

"Sure, if you can. Just try not to hurt yourself." 

You leave the axe on the ground and she bends over, trying to pick it up. With a loud grunt, she manages to raise it, her hands trembling from the effort. You have a bad feeling she is about to drop in on either her head or one of the servants. As you go over to help her, she suddenly says, "I want to make the first hit!" and sways over to the wall itself, putting all of her weight into the heavy ax swing. She manages to lodge it into the wall, even though it was barely a cut and then falls on her butt. The servants begin giggling and you chuckle as she turns around, flustered. 

"Don't laugh! I'll have you know I can get every one of you thrown out!" She says, angrily.

"Yeah, I know. I also know you are too kind to do that." You say as you help her up. She shakes her head and sits on your bed, eager to watch you work and help where she can. You and your helpers begin to smash the axes against the thick wall, and after half an hour of constant hitting, you finally reach the point where a saw will be necessary to make the finer details on the sides of the arc. You decide to take a little rest then, as everyone is sweating heavily and panting hard. Lux appears to be eager to help, so after she fetches you all some water, she begins collecting the various pieces of wood that flew away while you were going to town on the ex-wall. You wait for a while and when everyone is ready for work again, you pick up the two-man saws you picked up and begin to cut the precise shape of the arc you had in mind, which you have drawn on the pieces of wood with some coal. After about an hour of cutting, your arms, back and chest are burning from the effort, however, you are quite pleased with your work. The only thing left is the coloring of the entire thing, which you decide to do yourself and not trouble the servants more. You thank them sincerely and give them a couple of extra coins for the work they did and send them on their way. They appear to be tired but pleased as well. You bring some white paint that was kept in the basement and as you enter the room, you see a worried-looking Lux sitting on your bed, holding her hand. You put the bucket down and sit next to her.

"What's up? Is everything alright?"

"I-I think I got stabbed..."

"What? I don't see any blood..."

At that, she points to a little splinter that has edged itself into her palm. It hasn't even made a tiny stream of blood and you try your best not to chuckle. You carefully take her hand into yours and tell her:

"Aw, that ain't that bad! We can get it out in seconds!"

"Will it hurt?" She shies away as you reach for the little splinter.

"Maybe a little sting. Have you ever pierced yourself with a needle?"

"Once or twice."

"It will be the same, probably even better."

"O-Ok... Please be careful."

You pull the splinter out as she says that and look up to see Lux, clenching her eyes together, trembling. Is she seriously that scared of this? After facing that beast in the forest? Now that you think about it, did she even feel that you pulled it out?

"Uhh... it's done, Lux. You can open your eyes now."

"What? Just like that?" She looks at the little piece of wood you are holding in between your fingers.

"Just like that. Told you there is no need to be scared."

"Huh..." she picks up the little splinter and a bit of light magic flows from her fingers and burns it. "That's what you get, evil wood! I guess you were right. What will we do now?"

"Now," You pick up two brushes and hand one over to her. "We make this look Demacian."

Lux eagerly nods and begins to cover the right side of the arc in white. You follow suit and begin working on the side to the left. You make some pleasant small talk while you do so as you ask Lux about those clay figures you moved before the entire wall breaking thing. She goes on for a while about the different creatures she portrayed and the time when she used them to control her magic when she was little. Apparently, she had random outbursts of light magic before she fully learned how to control them correctly and playing with these figures and creating more of them helped her calm down and keep the entire thing undercover. You begin to feel bad for her, after learning about her childhood and the way she had to hide from her family and friends, spending countless nights crying and thinking she was going to turn evil even after all she had done. How can someone with such a childhood grow up to be so positive and kind?

"Damn... You must have had a real hard time when you were little."

"Well, yeah, it wasn't too easy to keep everything a secret." She paints a bit before she continues. "Not that it is easier to hide now, don't get me wrong, I still have random magic outbursts from time to time. However..." she pauses for a second and smiles at you. "Ever since you came here, it has been a lot easier to bear the burden."

You warm up inside, pleased that you have been useful to her in such a way and return the smile. "Heh, I try my best! Still... I am surprised you managed to keep your attitude under such circumstances. I would imagine someone who went through all of that would be all but kind, cheerful, optimistic and all of that good stuff."

She gives a little sigh. "Well, I guess that the only thing that kept me going and stopped me from giving up was the hope that one day, something would happen that would finally help me understand what I am better... And I believe that thing happened a couple of months ago." She looks at you with a grateful smile again. "Thank you for everything, Derrick. I know I have said it a lot, but I don't think I could ever truly thank you for what you have done for me."

"I... I don't know what to say, Lux. I will always be here to help you if you need me." You say, flustered by the thing your friend just said.

She keeps on painting with a pleased smile and after a while asks you: "I have already asked you this but you didn't give me a full answer... How did someone like you - a person who spent his entire life pulling through the darkest slums of society and fighting for his life on a daily basis stay so... good? I would expect such an experienced warrior to be almost drained of emotions from the sheer amount of horrors you have witnessed on the battlefield."

You think for a second before you answer. "Well...I guess that after living through multiple battles, I saw so much of the bad things that are in this world, that I began to hold on to the good things as if they were the dearest thing in the world. I tried to keep my mind straight and to constantly remain happy and calm, even in the darkest moments and it worked. That's why I haven't lost my humanity yet. As I said, when you have been through pure darkness, you hold onto every piece of light you can, and one of those pieces of light were definitely my comrades. That's why I constantly helped them, cheered them up and watched their backs. I didn't want to loose them, that's all."

Lux remains silent for a couple of seconds, before asking, a bit quiet. "What about now?"

You look at her, eyebrows raised. "What about now?"

"Well, you are no longer fighting and all of that... well, at least not to such an extent. What are those 'pieces of light' as you call them now?"

You think for a bit and answer. "Well... The life I am living is definitely one of them. Having a comfy bed, a good meal whenever I need it, a bath when I please, those are all great things. Also, even though we don't speak too often, your brother Garen is probably the closest thing I have ever had to a brother. He fills me with courage when I need it and I feel like I am around someone who has gone through the same as me, to some extent. Another 'piece of light' is probably the sparring sessions with Fiora. They help me stay sharp and bring out the joy of fighting I like so much. I will cherish them for as long as possible..." Lux remains silent as you ponder carefully over your next choice of words. After a bit, you decide that you might as well say it and carry on. "And of course, probably the biggest one of those 'pieces' is you, Lux." She looks at you, flustered. You smile reassuringly and carry on. "You have changed my whole life, to be honest. I felt... without a real purpose, ever since my wife d-" you cough and correct yourself "-ever since she left me. I was simply looking for something to do, I didn't want to go back into a mercenary group after the kind of life I had with Trika. Well, let's just say that that tournament was my last attempt before I went back to the mercenaries. And then, I won and I met you and ever since I have felt full again. Protecting you, talking to you, teaching you how to better control your magic, doing daily tasks with you... It has all been so refreshing. I can't really describe it." You scratch your head, a bit embarrassed. "Let's just say you are probably the person who means the most to me, as of right now... I just thought you should know." With that, you turn back to painting. Lux remains silent and for a bit, you think you might have said too much. After a while though, Lux decides to paint the upper side of the arc and puts a little chair, climbing on top. You decide to take a little break and watch her for a while.

However, suddenly, you hear her say a 'Woah!' as she begins to tremble, throwing the brush to the side, as she begins to wave her hands around. You jump up from the bed as you see her losing her balance as the small chair is unstable and begins to rock back and forth. Lux starts falling, but you are already there, arms waiting for her. She falls into you, and you cushion her fall as best as possible. She has her eyes closed tight but slowly opens them to your grinning face.

"Be careful! What would you do if I wasn't here?" She looks around and puts her arms around your neck.

"Once again, you save me from my stupidity... Listen, Derrick... Did you really mean those things you said back then?" She says, looking to the side, slightly blushing.

You look at her, confused. "Of course. That would be a bit of an asshole thing to say as a joke, wouldn't it... We should get back to work or we won't finish this in time."

Lux looks around again and suddenly gets a determined look on her face, before saying: "Well, I want to be honest with you too, so... You can't imagine how much you mean to me as well. Ever since you came, my life has only been getting better. You are always there when I need you, be it for protection, for a chat or simply someone to vent to... You were like a beacon of hope to me ever since we met and as I said, I don't think I have ever thanked you properly for... anything, really. You have no idea how hard it is to keep a secret from literally everyone you have ever known, thinking it is a curse, thinking that if people knew, they would lock you up in chains, thinking you would bring immense shame to your family... It was horrible, a nightmare, especially when I didn't have someone to talk to about it freely. Someone like you. The thing you said, about me filling up a missing part of you. Well... it is the same with me. I feel like something I have needed all my life has finally come to me... And I know how to thank you about that..."

Before you know it, Lux hugs you tightly and leans forward, her lips pressing against yours gently, her eyes closed tightly. You, on the other hand, have your eyes wide open in surprise from the sudden kiss you just got. But at that moment, you feel so much. You feel the warmth that usually flows from her fingers flow through her lips too, you feel her arms hugging you tightly, you feel warmth filling your entire body... You suddenly realize you feel loved... You close your eyes and give in to the emotion, forgetting about everything else, focusing on just this little moment between the two of you. After a while, she finally pulls away and looks at you, her eyes slowly turning to horror, as she begins to blush heavily. You chuckle, with a comforting smile as she wiggles from your arms and turns around, covering her face with her hands. You can't help but giggle at the entire scene, slightly blushing yourself.

"Hey... let's finish the arc, shall we?" You say, placing a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down a bit. She looks at you, still blushing and after a while gives you an unsure smile and gets up.

"Y-Yeah... let's..." The two of you finish painting it together and stand a couple of steps back, looking over your work, proud.

"Was it... good?" Lux suddenly asks, avoiding your eyes as you look at her.

"The work we just did? Yeah, it was grea-" You begin to say, trying to tease her a bit.

"Not that! The... The thing I did. Was it good?"

You smile cheekily and ask "Which thing?"

"You giant bully!" She says with a little 'hmpf' as she turns her back to you. You chuckle and hug her gently from behind.

"It was amazing."

The two of you stay like this for a while, until you see Lux smile and answer quietly. "I am glad..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, that just happened! I was just writing the chapter and as everything stacked, I suddenly got to what I believe to be a great time for the first kiss the two characters share. I didn't plan this at all! It just happened by itself, lol. I hope it wasn't too rushed and it came out as well as I think it did. I am quite pleased with this, Lux and Derrick have been through a bunch together, and sooner or later something like this would happen. We'll see how their relationship goes the next time, for which I have something quite interesting planned... Stay tuned! (And also, as always, stay safe!)


	13. A Midnight Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During the rather peaceful night, an unwanted guest comes to visit Lux and bring her an... unpleasant message. Lucky for her, you are there and ready to protect her with your life. Will you be able to push back this unknown person of the night and protect your friend?

The night is passing by peacefully as you lay in your bed in your 'new' room. You hear some raindrops tapping on the windows and hear the wind howling through the open one. It is probably way past midnight, however, you can't seem to fall asleep. You can see faint rays of pale moonlight making their way into the room, and you see everything in a gray gradient. Nights can be oddly beautiful, you think to yourself, even if everything is colorless, dark and cold. Your mind flows back to your past once again, as it has already done many times tonight and you remember the time you spent keeping watch while the mercenaries were sleeping, the number of times you were simply staring into the moon, wondering if it truly was another planet like your own. You have wondered constantly if there were any beings up there, smarter and mightier than you, but you'd never know that. It is a strange thing, the way being alone at such an hour brought up memories and made you think about experiences that happened way beforehand, things that never even cross your mind during the day. It's almost magical. Suddenly, memories of Trika come into your mind and with a heavy sigh, you try to shove them away. Part of you still hasn't come to terms with the fact you and Lux shared a kiss yesterday. You have the unpleasant feeling that you are somehow cheating on Trika with everything you have been doing recently. 

"Let her go, (Y/N)! It is what she would have wanted..." A part of you says. However, you turn around in the bed and another part of you counters:

"Even if she is dead, you can't just throw away the bond the two of you had. You even had a son!" You close your eyes tightly and flip around again, trying to find a comfortable position to go to sleep in.

"The bond was forcefully ended by that scum. It is not your fault. You should move on with your life, you can't stay like this forever! It will drive you insane." You give another sigh and raise in your bed. Sitting, you look over to where Lux should be sleeping, though now you can only hear a little murmur every now and again, the dark making it too hard to see anything. She must be having a dream. You envy her. Why can't you just go to sleep too? You fall back down into the bed and cover your face with your hands. Is what you are doing wrong? Everything points towards it being wrong. A relationship between a lowborn, ex-mercenary turned guard and a noblewoman raised to lead the Crownguard family and assist Demacia in her time of need. Not only is it outrageous, you even help her develop her magical abilities, which, no doubt, is putting her in danger of being revealed, which would bring shame to her family and lead to Lux's imprisonment. 

"Fuck!" You simply whisper as you turn around once again. Why do things have to be so complicated? Not only that, but her brother also would never approve. He is a friend of yours, yes, but most of all, he is a true Demacian and won't hesitate to take action against you if it is needed. And you don't even want to think about Tianna Crownguard. She will probably be enraged by just the fact you and Lux have some sort of a relationship and you can't imagine what she would do if she found out you were teaching her niece how to use her magic. And what about her parents? They were apparently running some errands for the crown in the nearby villages so you haven't yet got the chance to meet them, however, you suspect they won't be too pleased about any of it too.

"Fuck!" You whisper again as you turn around once again. She was such a great woman though! You love everything about her, from her attitude to her looks and you can't imagine what would life be like if you had to give up on everything here and continue your old life. The sheer thought of it makes you stiffen. The two months you have spent together really made the two of you close. How can you reach some sort of a balance between everything? You should probably talk to her about it tomorrow, but wouldn't that be a bit cruel? She pours her heart out for you and the very next day you tell her all of this. That would definitely impact her negatively. She doesn't need more things to think about, Lux is already way too under pressure.

"Fu-" You begin to say again but your ears perk up at something weird. Was it just your imagination? You turn around, facing the opened window next to you. You could have sworn you hear something weird, like a step just now. Are you just getting paranoid? You really need some sleep, maybe you are beginning to doze off... You begin to close your eyes, but you hear it again. Your eyes open again as you look at the window once more. Another small thump. They are extremely hard to hear, but you can definitely notice the tiny thumps. Is someone walking on the roof? Garen warned you something like this could happen, so you kept the sword near your bed. You reach out and pull it under your sheet, getting ready to leap from your bed. After a couple of painful minutes, a shadow suddenly appears in the window frame. It was slim and had long hair, so you guess it was a woman. The small amount of moonlight shimmers off the oversized daggers she had hung on both sides of her waist. She appears to be lightly armored, however, you aren't armored at all so that could be a problem. 

The surprise is what she is relying on, definitely, however, you believe it is on your side right now. She hasn't turned around yet and probably doesn't even expect that there is another person in the room. You can't let her get close to Lux, or she might use her as a hostage. You slowly begin to draw your bedsheet away, praying to whatever god there was to keep the bed from creaking. The assassin doesn't appear to hear you at all and takes a couple of silent steps towards Lux. You raise your body and step with one foot on the floor, carefully placing the other one next to it. Slowly but surely, you fully get up and are now standing behind the woman. She takes another step towards Lux and you time your fast step forward with hers, trying to mask it as much as possible, while you thrust for her back as strong as you can.

Suddenly, she side-steps clumsily, obviously surprised by your attack. Your longsword still hits her though, and you see a black cut form on her belly, which you estimate to be at least a couple of centimeters deep. A solid hit, you think to yourself as she steps away for her, blood falling from her wound, splattering on the ground in little pools. You waste no time and continue your attack as she has yet to draw her daggers. You stab and slash and kick and manage to cut her quite well, once in her left calf, once in her shoulder and once in her right forearm. She finally manages to pull out her daggers, however, and locks her eyes with you. You can't make much out in such darkness, however, you are positive her hair is pure red. After a bit, she says, quietly.

"I did not expect a guard. Not one skillful enough to surprise me AND stab me, at least."

"I have my moments." You answer, quiet as well.

She begins circling to the left, but you stand your ground, under the newly made arc, leading to Lux. She sees you don't move and goes back to her original location.

"And an experienced one too... How much did they pay you, guard?"

"Less than I deserve, apparently." Both of you chuckle.

"That's always the problem, isn't it, guard-boy? I can relate. I was paid to kill a girl and found a full-grown man instead!"

"I wasn't expecting visitors either."

"Oh, I think you were. Why else would you be up at a time like this?"

"I... I like stargazing."

"Especially when the sky is covered with dark clouds, yes?" She chuckles again and you smirk, nervously. "I like you, guard-boy. A shame I have to kill you to get my payment."

"Yeah, that is a shame, for your payment that is. Because I don't think today will be payday for you."

She giggles. "Oh yeah? We'll see about that, guard-boy. Mind telling me your name before I send you on the other side? I wouldn't want a handsome guy like you to die unknown, especially if that man managed to injure me so much. It would be a waste."

"Derrick. And may I have yours, red-hair?"

She smiles, amused. "Usually, people who call me that get killed, but had we met in other circumstances, I would have made an exception for you, Derrick. I am Katarina. A shame this is how our first meeting has to go. I have taken a liking to you, however, I have to kill you."

You shrug. "You gotta do what you gotta do."

"My words exactly."

She dashes forward swiftly, swinging one dagger down and another from left to the right, aiming for your exposed belly. You curse and sidestep the down-cut and block the side-hit. She is a lot faster than you, however, and swings again and again, at an unimaginable speed. You block as much as possible, however, you get a few cuts on your arms and one on your legs as well. Panting, you take a step back. She stops for a second too, catching her breath. She lets her arms drop to her sides and you see that as an opportunity and thrust quickly. She appears to be expecting that and with a chuckle, she slides past your blade and cuts across your bicep and your back with her dagger. You grunt in pain and turn around, feeling blood drip over your arm and back. You knew you should have kept your armor on! You can feel the sword handle getting slippy in your hand. Katarina giggles again.

"Awww... I like it when they scream. Why so quiet, Derrick? Are you afraid of waking our little princess up?"

"Wouldn't be nice to interrupt her dreams, right?" You manage to say through gritted teeth. in reality, though, you don't want to wake Lux up in order to keep her from doing anything drastic. If she used her magic on this assassin and she lived through it, she would know something no one besides you can know - that Lux has magic in her. You don't even want to think about what that would lead to.

"I guess not. That wouldn't be polite."

You rub your injured arm. "That wasn't too nice. You play dirty."

She begins to play around with her knife and giggles. "I never play fair. That way it's much more fun. But they didn't teach you that in the sword school, did they, guard-boy?"

You dash towards her with an overhead swing which she tries to side-step, however you keep on charging and ram into her with your shoulder, knocking her back and into the wall. She tries to kick you away, however, you grab her by the foot and pull her back, knocking her down to the ground where she scrambles to her daggers. You waste no time and swing, cutting a gash across her back. You hear a loud grunt as she gets back up.

"Nope, they didn't." You say as she measures you up.

"How mischievous, forcing yourself onto a woman like that." Katarina says with a grim smile.

"I can make it up for you over a beer someday."

"I'm flattered, however, I don't think you will live to see another day after all of this." With that, she motions over the cuts over her body

"We'll see." You say, with a grin.

She assumes her battle stance and says "Let the bloodshed begin!"

You rush over to her, in your underwear, and begin swinging again, blocking, parrying, counter-attacking, tanking a few cuts and dodging, but the battle isn't going anywhere. You can notice the glimmer of sweat on her face under the moonlight. She charges you again with a battle-cry. 'Blood for Noxus!' You parry everything with great effort, however, you suddenly trip over your boots and loose your proper footing. You can almost see Katarina's eyes light up as she dashes in for the kill, her dagger headed straight for your neck. You raise your hand to protect yourself and as your instinct takes over you, you summon ice that covers your hand. The blade lodges itself into it with great force and you can feel how the blow almost broke your arm. You yelp as you kick her feet and she falls along with you. The two of you scramble and wrestle for a while as you try to choke her into unconsciousness. She puts her feet around you and weirdly twists her body, using your weight to get herself back up. You follow suit and pick up your sword, ready to fight again. Katarina appears to only look at you, however.

"A spellcaster... in Demacia, out of all places. How..." she smiles devilishly "...Interesting. That saved your life, guard-boy. Things just got a lot more fun."

"You fight well, red-hair. But this can't continue. I know you can see that too, but this isn't going anywhere. The way things will end is when we faint because of blood loss. Then, in the morning, someone will find us. That won't be bad for me, but it will be pretty bad for you. Leave while you can, Katarina."

"Oh, I don't think it will end like this..." You suddenly hear something lodge itself in the wood behind you. Only then do you notice that one of her blades is missing and suddenly a red flurry passes next to you at unimaginable speed and you manage to turn around just in time to see Katarina falling from the ceiling, with her blades in her hands. You raise your sword however she spins around and suddenly throws one at you with a loud grunt. The blade hits your shoulder and lodges itself in your muscles. You yelp and unwillingly drop your sword, reaching for the knife, taking a few steps back. Suddenly, another blade flies into your palm, penetrating it and lodging itself in the wall behind you. You can't help but wail at the pain that shoots up through your arm as Katarina slowly walks up to you. Your left arm is almost immovable because of the wound. the knife must have struck an important nerve or muscle. Your right arm is stuck to the wall, the knife keeping it there. Every movement causes you pain and with sweat dripping from your forehead, you look up to see Katarina standing right in front of you. She examines you for a while as you struggle not to whimper, your arms burning. 

"Well, I finally got you, didn't I?" She takes a closer look at both your wounds and murmurs. "And I got you pretty good, didn't I?"

You try to answer something but only a grunt of pain comes out. Katarina puts her finger onto your lips with a little 'Shhhh...'. She grabs the blade that is holding you to the wall as if she is about to pull it out, however, she holds onto it for a while.

"Nice fight, guard-boy... I have to admit you did get me good a couple of times... However, next time... run!" She ponders for a bit and gets closer to you. "Now that I think about it, there will be no next time. Too bad." 

Katarina slides her hand over your exposed chest and abs. "Such a great body... it really is a shame we didn't meet in other circumstances. Such power is respected in Noxus. You would have been better off going there rather than here, not to mention your magic." She looks back to Lux. "Is it because of her? Luxanna Crownguard, was it?" She looks back at you. "Ah... Love is a cruel thing, isn't it? Well, since you cut me so bad back then," she pulls a small knife from her pocket. "You will watch as I do the job I came here to do." 

"Don't you dare touch her..." you say, trying to suppress the grunts of pain that want to come out from within you.

Katarina looks back at you and smile, getting closer. "Why not? What will you do? I incapacitated your arms, and I don't think you can do anything without them, can you?" She leans in and kisses you on the cheek, smiling arrogantly. "We'll see each other on the other side when my time comes, Derrick." 

You suddenly push your hand down, further and further down the blade that holds it to the wall, reaching all the way to the hilt. Katarina looks at your arm, curious. "Whaa~at are you doing? Did you loose your mind, guard-boy?" You suddenly grab her hand, along with the hilt of the blade with the remaining three fingers you can still move well. She suddenly sees what's happening and tries to pull away but you have an iron grasp. All of your willpower is trying to keep you from falling unconscious from the sheer pain you experience, but you have to keep holding on. Katarina looks at you, horrified and you manage a little smile.

"As you said... Never play fair." With that, you throw your head forward and headbutt her as strong as you can. Light explodes under your eyes as you stumble forward, the blade that once held you to the wall pulled out from the falling woman. She is knocked unconscious and she falls to the floor with a scream, dropping her blade. You stare at her for a while before realizing black spots have begun to appear in your vision. You will soon be down alongside her and no one knows about anything here. You'll die from blood loss! You slowly make your way to the door and push it open. A bloody trail behind you, you make your way to the stairs. You see a servant cleaning some dust and he must have heard your loud grunts as he looks up and his eyes widen in horror. 

"Tell Garen I tried my best." Is the only thing you manage to say before letting the dark cloak of unconsciousness fall over you, covering you whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After yet another tough fight, you manage to capture the legendary assassin Katarina Du Couteau and save Lux's fight. Derrick ain't dead, don't worry, he just lost too much blood. And, as always, Sona will be there to help you recover from wounds that seem small in comparison to what you have already been through. Overall, I hope I captured Katarina's arrogant personality well enough and I also hope that you enjoyed reading through this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! I have some future plans for Katarina (nothing romantic as of right now.) so expect her to appear again sometime in the future!


	14. A Restless City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The news of the failed attempt on Lux's life has spread all over the city and everyone is on edge. You try your best to cheer Lux up by introducing something new to your training session that can help her in a sticky situation. Everything is great until a strange message arrives that makes your future uncertain and a whole lot more complicated.

The past couple of days have been a blur. Ever since you fought Katarina, you have undergone several questionings, went through multiple of the royal houses to help in the setting of defenses against assassins, as you are the only one who survived such an encounter. Not sure if all of the potential killers would act the same way Katarina did, you are a bit unsure if the methods you and Garen developed together would function similarly with everyone. Still, you help as much as you can, wherever you can and after a couple of harsh days, you finally get some free time for yourself. Your injuries are healing well enough, the doctors said they could have been worse, however, it was a miracle your right hand, the one Katarina pinned to the wall, was still functional. Miraculously, she somehow managed to pierce the palm of your hand right in between the bones of your fingers, which would allow you to fully move your fingers again when it has fully healed. That's good, you don't even know how you would cope with losing your sword-hand. What was bad was that everyone in the city seemed to be on edge. The number of people who were walking around with swords or daggers has been steadily increasing during the past week, you have noticed, and the guards, both their numbers and patrols, have been doubled. It is enough to make you uneasy, so it must be driving most people quite nervous.

not only that, but it appears that the attempted assassination was aided by an insider. It was later discovered that the food of the entire Crownguard mansion where you and Lux live had been poisoned by a strong sleep drug, which explains how your fight woke nobody up. Apparently it kicked in once the person fell asleep, which explains why you and that servant on night shift weren't affected. Still, that doesn't make Lux feel any better, as she feels like it was her fault you got injured so bad. Numerous people have explained to her that only a handful of tenacious individuals could withstand such a heavy dose of the drug, however, nothing appears to calm her and she still feels guilty for the entire thing. The same goes for Garen, whose gift arrived a bit too late. He meant to give you a custom set of armor, crafted from Demacian Steel, however, it arrived at the Crownguard mansion the next morning. He says that because of his laziness, you almost lost your life. You, on the other hand, blame neither Lux nor her brother for what happened. they couldn't have known about any of what happened, nobody could, but that does little to comfort them. The armor itself isn't half bad.

"I saw the way you fought and ordered something that would suit you best." Garen had said when he finally managed to give it to you. It consisted of light pauldrons and a breastplate, covering only your chest, along with some gloves, plated by the special steel on the outside and two matching greaves for the lower part of your legs, accompanied by light knee guards. Overall, it protected what was most crucial, while leaving all of the areas you needed to move fluently and fast, like the belly, the armpits, the groin, and most of your legs free.

"Keep in mind, the armor is focused on protecting you as much as it can without hindering your mobility too much. Protecting your belly and most of your limbs is up to your speed and reactions." Garen had said grimly. "If I had only ordered it delivered the same day I saw you at the harbor..." He then said, clenching his fist.

"It wasn't your fault, commander. You couldn't have known." You had replied. "And even if you had, I wouldn't have slept with it. I fought in my underwear because of my laziness too, so it was mainly my fault."

It didn't seem to make him feel any better and he left hastily, murmuring something to himself.

Lux, on the other hand, seemed sad, rather than angry. She hadn't smiled since the attack and was almost scared to talk to her as if you were angry that she hadn't woken up. No matter how much you told her that wasn't the case, it didn't seem to help much. Not only that, but Fiora had decided against continuing your training sessions until you had fully healed. That was wise, you knew it, however, it didn't stop you from missing the thrill of a good swordfight early in the morning every now and then. You found a way to fill the big hole that was your schedule currently, and that was by teaching Lux some self-defense tactics. Your injuries didn't stop you from keeping up with the magic exercises the two of you did in the forest, and as your free time greatly increased, you decided to add some self-defense training in your schedule. Today was the first time you were going to do something like this, so as the two of you walked to the little clearing where you usually did everything, you were listing off different ideas in your head. Lux was unnaturally silent, the way she has been the last few days, but she was still leading you through the forest, holding your hand. You aren't too sure why she still does that, you know your way well enough by now, no way you'd get lost, but her hand was as warm as always, so you didn't mind it at all.

When you finally got there, the two of you began with what was now a regular exercise regime. A couple of light spells to warm up, then the shooting range, then a couple of complex ones to finish it all off. For Lux, that meant a couple of portable light balls being cast around to illuminate the vicinity, then the casting of the offensive sparks she shot out of her staff and finally, molding the light that came from her fingers into different shapes. For you, that meant freezing the pond and making little ice shards from the moisture in the air around you, then flinging those ice shards at the targets and finally either encasing certain parts of yourself in ice or forming different sculptures out of the frozen water you took from the pond. Lux had gotten way better at everything that concerned magic, her mana consumption, her mana pool itself, her precision, and her power too. You, on the other hand, had only increased your mana pool, from what you felt, as a couple of spikes no longer exhausted you so much. Other than that, you can't seem to develop a better aim, nor decrease the mana you expend while casting spells. The only thing that you are now confident in doing is the part where you freeze parts of your own body to protect yourself, the way you did when Katarina attacked you. That and sculpting different things from ice. You managed to make a crooked version of Lux from the frozen pond at which she simply laughed, however, you also succeeded in making a sword and a spear, both of which shattered on impact. With more practice, you are sure something good can come out of that ability. When it came to shooting at the targets, however, 15 feet was the best you could do. Lux, on the other hand, slowly made her way to a 50 feet target and now all of her spells landed where she wanted them to and whenever you missed she would always chuckle merrily. This time was no different.

"You can't go past 15 feet can you?" She said with a smile, the first one in a while.

"Go on then, Miss Sniper!" You say at her with a smile of your own.

She steps forward and hits all of the targets, even the ones furthest away with a plethora of spells. She has taken a liking to a couple of spells, in particular, the ball of light that binds targets to their place, which she likes to call 'binding light' or something of the sort. She also often uses the exploding ball of light and also likes to practice her more precise spells with the light shield she can give you and as a last resort, she has also practiced the big ray she hit you with the first time you met. 

"Damn, I suck at spellcasting do I?" You ask with a sigh as she turns around to look at you, cheekily.

"Yeah, I guess you do. there is no one better at being a guard!" She says as she hugs you as the two of you sit down bellow a nearby tree for a little rest. You wrap your right arm around her should and as she nuzzles into you, she notices the bandages covering your right palm and sighs.

"I am quite useless when it comes to protecting you though..." She says, closing her eyes. You look at her confused.

"No, you don't! It wasn't your fault you fell asleep. It was mostly luck that I wasn't able to sleep well that night. Also..." You hug her tightly with your right arm. "It was better that I took a beating that you getting killed. I'd take that every day!"

"I... I know that I couldn't have helped you... Even if I somehow woke up, I would have panicked, used my magic and now that woman would know about my abilities. I shudder at the thought of that information leaking... Yet still, I feel really bad. You mean so much for me and up until now, I haven't helped you-"

"You did banish that nightmare demon."

"Yeah, but-"

"You also help me morally. I can't swing my sword through things like loneliness you know."

She chuckles lightly and says. "I am glad that is enough for you... because I feel useless."

"Well... I was thinking of teaching you some techniques that you can use in case I am not nearby and you get attacked." She raises her head and looks at you. 

"Really? When can we begin?" 

"I was thinking we could implement it in our daily training. After the magic part ends, some physical exercise would be good, wouldn't it?"

"Of course! I would love that! I always thought you could teach me something in that department." She gives you a little kiss on the cheek and gets up. You stand up with a chuckle and lead her to the center of the clearing.

"Right, so... you are short."

"Hey!"

"And you have a slender build. Not an ideal fighter, but that doesn't mean you can't defend yourself without magic."

"Can I? I don't think I have the power nor guts to punch someone..."

"Well, just because I fight using mainly my brute strength doesn't mean you can't win without being strong. You can exploit weak spots, for example, and that is what I will teach you today. Sure, it is dirty and maybe unfair, but when you are fighting for your life, you shouldn't care about that. Now... someone like you is... limited, let's say, to the number of weak points they can exploit, mainly due to your size and strength. That means no tripping your opponent, no shoulder ramming, no dirty punches, nothing of that sort. What you can always do, however, is hit people where it hurts. Can you guess where such parts can be?"

Lux thinks for a second and answers.

"Uhmm... the eyes?"

"Correct. That's one. Can you name any more?"

"..." She ponders again. "The belly?"

"If you have the strength to punch it hard enough, sure, but I don't think you do. Still, if you have a knife that is always a great place to stab."

"isn't any place a great place to stab? I didn't know you had to aim a sword..."

"A sword you don't have to, nor a knife, however, the belly area is big and easy to hit. Also, it is vital for movement, so having a piece of metal stuck in there that causes pain with every movement is a big hindrance. Also, if you want to go into details, you could theoretically pierce his stomach and-"

"Please, don't go into so much detail! It's gross."

"Alright, alright... And finally, there is one spot that you can always use if it comes to it."

"I... I have no idea what that is."

"Well, if you are fighting a man, you can always hit him here." You point towards your groin.

Lux gets a flustered look to her and blushes "Ewwww! That would be gross!"

"Huh... I guess as a man I don't find it too bad, haven't thought about the other side now have I?"

"Gross..."

"Anyway, those were the weak points, now, I want for you to begin exercising every time we are here. Physical exercises, that is, push-ups, sit-ups, all that."

"I will do my best!"

"Then let's begin!"

The two of you spend the next hour doing different types of exercises. Compared to you, she is doing quite poorly, but that is understandable. After all, getting her past 5 push-ups is why you are doing this entire thing. Even so, she is quite slender and weak when it comes to raw strength, but you have faith in her, and with a lot of jokes, quips, and overall happiness, the two of you get through the session without much trouble. You do a lot more than Lux, which is normal. She did 5 push-ups, while you managed to reach 50. She did 20 sit-ups and you reached a hundred. You took off everything besides your pants and shirt and Lux did the same. The two of you spent a great afternoon together. After a while, you decide to take a rest and the two of you snuggle under the same tree again.

"You did this every day at the mercenary camp?" She asks, panting lightly.

"Yup! You did great for someone who hasn't exercised before."

"Compared to you, that was nothing!" She says, poking your arms. "I want to be strong, however, I wouldn't want arms as big as yours!"

"Don't worry about it, you don't need to wield a sword, so you don't need muscles. Let's say we are doing it for peace of mind."

"I am glad you spend so much time with me, you know."

"I am glad too, Lux."

Lux falls asleep in a bit, exhausted and you soon follow. The two of you stay like that for an hour or two, before the setting sun hits you in the face and wakes you up. It is soon going to get dark so you poke Lux's cheek and she grimaces as she shoves your hand away.

"Leave me to sleep~"

"We gotta get back you know. Can't stay here forever, especially with the current situation."

You help her to her feet and the two of you pick up the clothes you took off. She leads you by your hand back out of the forest and then goes to take a shower. As you wait for her to come out in order for you to wash, you suddenly notice a bird standing on your windowsill, looking at you curiously with a message attached to its leg. Curious, you carefully take the letter and unroll it. You can't see any seal that could hint to its sender, which makes you even more curious. It is all handwritten and a bit hard to read, but you manage to make it out. It says the following:

"I am sorry that I am contacting you like this. It isn't common for a soldier to speak through messages. We usually do it face-to-face, but I am sure you already know this. I hope you enjoy your new armor. What I am writing to you about isn't as good as that piece of steel, however. The newly captured assassin claims that you showed signs of magical abilities during your fight. Of course, I didn't believe her for a second, after all, she is trying to disrupt the peace here. However, my aunt is strict and still wants to check, just to make sure. you know how she is. Please stop by the main street as soon as possible. Let's get these false accusations out of the way. I will buy you a beer later! Due to the assassins roaming around town, I won't sign this letter with my name, but I am sure a clever brother like you will be able to figure out who I am. See you soon, G.C."

You roll the paper back up with a nauseous feeling in your gut and trembling fingers. You had almost forgotten that Katarina saw your ice magic. You look at the bathroom door and hear Lux's humming. Not going there would only make you more suspicious and would eventually lead to everyone here being tested, you are almost sure of that. And you had to protect Lux at all costs. You pick up your sword, put on your armor, and holding the paper, you silently exit the mansion and make your way towards the center of the city, a really bad feeling in your stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the little delay, however, I completely ran out of both ideas and inspiration to write more, lol. I finally came up with something interesting though and it will be revealed to you all in the next chapter! Again, a cliffhanger, but I hope to write the new chapter this Tuesday. Sorry if this chapter wasn't anything too exciting, I think it was just a transition from one part of the story to another. Lux and Derrick are getting along great, however, and that is always nice to read at least. Anyway, for those of you who want a bit of a sneak peek at what's to come, I definitely want to include these characters when it comes to Demacia: Chained up boy, Chained up girl, Prince boy, and Short fluffy girl. I hope you can figure out who those are, lol.


	15. A Night to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make your way to the city square, where Garen awaits you. He takes you to his aunt Tiana, in order for you to be tested. She wants to make sure there is no magic in you. How will you get past this challenge? Will you even be able to hide your true self?

The streets are dark, the faint light of the moon being the only thing that illuminates them where no street lanterns were present. You silently make your way down the street of the city, which is unusually silent at night. A couple of patrols pass you by and greet you as most of the soldiers now know who you are. You nod to them, without talking too much as your mind is thinking about something entirely different. How the hell do you get out of this? You can't suppress your magic forever, it will eventually show, like that time when Katarina almost slit your neck open and your instincts took over, automatically trying their best to keep you alive. Was Tiana going to go as far as an attempted execution just to test you? Maybe they were going to give you some sort of beverage or food that would react according to your magic? Avoiding the meeting would only make it worse for you and Lux, so the option of running away was out of the question. As you get closer and closer to the center square of the big city, nothing comes to your mind. Getting desperate, you begin to wonder whether you will ever get to see Lux again. Chances are, you will be locked in some dungeon for a while and after people see they can't cure you of your magic, you will be executed. What a dumb way to die, after living a life such as yours. Entangled in such thoughts, you enter the almost empty main square. As a big, hooded figure approaches you, you strengthen yourself for what is to come.

You see Garen's face under the dark hood, nodding lightly as a means of greeting you silently. You nod back and he tilts his head to a side alley, where a guard stood. The two of you make your way there and he lets you pass. Inside, Garen takes off his hood and pats you on the back.

"Hello there, Derrick. I am sorry we meet under such circumstances, however, we have a job to do. Let's silence the lies of this assassin once and for all and go to bed, shall we?"

"Hey, Garen. Yeah... Let's." You say a bit gloomy, a little seed of panic beginning to set itself into your mind. He leads you around a couple of corners until the two of you reach a wooden basement door. He taps it lightly in the upper right corner and it opens with a loud creak. He motions you in. "One of the many secret passages that run beneath the capital. After you."

The two of you enter and begin walking along a long hallway, lit with a torch every twenty meters or so. Neither of you speaks during that time and you can feel the unnatural tension hovering around Garen. That's unusual, seeing as how he should not doubt your innocence. Why did he seem so paranoid then? You don't have enough time to think about it or ask him, as the two of you suddenly reach a staircase, winding upwards. You begin climbing and after a couple of minutes, your legs burning, you reach a wooden wall. Garen pushes it slightly and it opens up. Turns out, it wasn't a wall, but the back of a big painting of the Crownguard family, which was hung in what appeared to be a big hall, with a balcony that overlooked the city. On it, you see three figures, obviously waiting for the two of you to show up. One of them has long, blonde hair while the other two wear helmets and carry spears, so you assume they are guards. As you make your way over to Tiana, you calm yourself as much as possible. 

"I am glad to see you responded so swiftly to our message." Tiana says as you get near her.

"I saw no reason to postpone a response. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can get back and catch some sleep."

"My thoughts exactly." With that, Tiana turns around and claps her hands. A third guard who was keeping to himself in the shadows up until now shows up, dragging someone along with him, the ratling of chains now easy to hear due to the two of them moving. Even in the dark, you recognize the red hair and the scar on the left side of the captive. It's Katarina.

"We meet again, guard-boy. I hope you aren't too mad that I told them of your little secret. I heard that if I aid the hunt for mages in Demacia I can get a lighter sentence. Please don't disappoint me!" She says, mockingly. Before you can answer, however, Garen steps forward.

"How dare you accuse my friend of such treachery! You will be executed, as I do not doubt that his heart is true and clean of magic."

Katarina chuckles. "We will see about that, Garen."

"We shall." Says Tiana as she comes over to you, a cup in her hand. "Drink this. It's a potion designed to strip people of their magic. It tastes sour and foul, however, if you have some magic in you, it will come out in the form of shining blue essence." She looks at you sternly. "I do hope that the room stays as dark as it is...."

She doesn't trust me, you suddenly realize as she hands you the cup. What the hell do you do now? Suddenly, you get an idea. You put the drink to your lips and down it in one go. Then, while doing so, you pray that your magic lessons were enough and freeze it before it reaches your stomach, where potions are absorbed. The feeling is way too painful, however, so you begin to cough and fall to one knee, dropping the cup on the ground, where it shatters. The guards appear alert, however, Tiana mentions them to stay put as everyone observes you. You aren't sure how much longer you can keep the liquid frozen, nor how you will get it out, however, soon enough Garen says. "I don't see any blue."

"It would appear so..." Tiana answers. You look to the side and see the shocked expression on Katarina's face. You'd smile if it wasn't so uncomfortable having ice in your throat. You suddenly decide that your life is more important than your honor and manage to mumble out. "I think I'm going to puke..." Before rushing to the edge of the balcony and bend over, unfreezing the liquid. It falls back out of you, which feels way too uncomfortable to describe and you aren't too sure how you pulled it off, however, you spit it all out onto the grass in the gardens bellow. When you make sure you are clean (by wiping your face with your sleeve), you turn back around.

"May I be excused? I want some sleep after-"

"He did something! I know he did something." Katarina shouts angrily. "Didn't I tell you? He has some form of freezing ability. Who is to say he didn't feeze the potion somewhere in his body and didn't just spit it out! When I fought him he was quite creative, I wouldn't be surprised if he could pull that off." Tiana looks back at you suspiciously. That red-haired son of a- Before you could say anything, Garen steps forward once again. 

"Aunt Tiana, you can't seriously be listening to the words of an assassin sent by Noxians! She is trying to get Derrick out of the way for the next one who comes for my sister. Please, let him-"

"Silence! Demacians never leave loose ends, so we will test him again. This time, the way this woman here did. By threatening his life."

You and Garen look at her, shocked. "Damn, I mean nothing to people here do I..." you murmur.

"You mean a lot to me, Derrick, that's why I am putting you through this. I don't want a guardsman such as you to be plagued by the curse of magic."

"I am not plagued by magic! You will simply kill me!"

"He has a point there, Tiana. What if we just end up killing him?"

"Well..." She remained silent for a while. "We won't kill him." She suddenly said.

"Lady he won't use it unless his life is in danger. The guy has the nerves of a soldier, simply cutting him up won't... cut it." Katarina said.

"Very funny. We won't cut him up, however. I am certain he has something odd about him... To this day, I wonder how Derrick didn't bleed out when he fought those three guards, and why almost no blood seemed to drip from his cuts. Well, if what this scum here is saying is true and he possesses some sort of ice spells, maybe he froe the blood over his wounds during that fight."

The room falls silent for a bit and Katarina says "Huh, the lady is smart, I'll give her that. Sucks for you, guard-boy!"

Sucks for me indeed, you think as a drop of sweat falls down your forehead. How did she think of that right now?! Everyone turns to you and you see there is no way out of this one.

"I will do as my lady commands." 

"Good. Then kneel before me and I shall strike a blow to your neck. If I am correct, then... things shall become different. If I am not, I will take the blame for an unnecessary execution, even if it means death."

"Aunt Tiana, isn't that a bit too much?"

"Demacians should risk it all to seek out mages."

With that, you kneel before Tiana as she pulls out her shortsword. Without hesitation, she brings the blade down to your head and, even without looking, you feel the cups of water that were on the nearby table explode as their content rushed to your neck, forming an ice collar around it. The shortsword etched itself in it, centimeters from your neck and Tiana steps back, the words "A mage." on her lips. You don't even try to resist as the guards rush to you and bind your hands. As soon as the chains were locked, you felt something inside of you being suppressed. A metal that absorbs magic.

"Derrick, guard of Luxanna Crownguard, I deem you guilty with use of magic in the royal houses of Demacia. You are to be locked down in the highest containment until we establish the possible effect your presence here may have caused." Tiana commands as the guards tie you legs together too and bundle you and Katarina up together. "You shall await your trial." As the two of you are being dragged out of the room, you see Garen, standing in the middle of the room, his shoulders slumped, face hidden in darkness. You wonder what he is thinking about right now. Saddened by your unintentional betrayal, you face away from the two Crownguards as you are dragged down a staircase, leading to the Demacian dungeons. Katarina is closely bound to you and you hear her whisper in your ear: "Don't feel too bad. As I said, I never play fair. You would have done the same to save yourself wouldn't you?" You suppose you would, but it doesn't stop you from wanting to turn around and slap her. 

As the two of you get dragged deeper and deeper bellow, Katarina suddenly says in a loud voice. "Hey! Where the hell are you taking me? Wasn't I promised a lighter sentence if I gave you that info?"

One of the guards answers. "Tiana Crownguard said nothing that concerned you. You are going back to that dungeon, you filth."

You can hear, or rather feel Katarina trying to kick out of the chains and she begins to shout all types of insults at the Demacians. Suddenly, one of the guards says. "One more word and you will starve for a week! All of you!" She opens her mouth but you kick her as hard as you can through your chains and she decides to keep quiet. Finally, you reach your destination and the two of you get thrown into a dark cell with no light nearby. The guards swiftly take their lead.

Sitting in the dark for a while, chained up, you think only about Lux and what would happen to her. Would she try to come and visit you? No, there's no chance anybody could let her in even if she did try to enter. More importantly, what would happen to you? An execution was most likely, maybe exile. As you sit there and wonder about your future, you suddenly hear the quiet voice of Katarina from right next to you, which makes you jump, startled.

"You aren't too mad at me, are you, Derrick?"

You shift uncomfortably to the side and answer. "I am. You couldn't have kept your mouth shut, could you? Also, why would you care how I feel, Katarina?"

"Huh, you remember my name! That's good. I care about that because we will be stuck here together for quite a while. Until everyone makes up their mind about this entire situation. From what I have heard, half the court will be in your favor, while the other one will keep strict to the Demacian way of solving things. We will be stuck here for maybe a month or two."

"Well, don't expect me to pay you much mind for about a month. I am pissed you did that to me. Do you know how well I was doing for myself?"

"I could see. Was that Crownguard girl so good you had to hide who you really were for so long?"

For some reason, you decide to answer her. "...Yeah... She is pretty good. I like the way she acts, the way she looks. And you took it away. Not cool."

"I knew it! The way you fought for her told me the two of you had something special."

"Why would you care? Are you going to tell them that too?"

"Just curious." You feel her shuffle closer to you. "Look I am sorry, but otherwise I would have died."

"Odd for an assassin to show sympathy."

"You beat me in a fight. You deserve some respect."

She shuffles closer. "Why the hell are you doing that?"

"I... Well since I dragged you into this shithole, I might as well tell you. I am terrified of pure darkness. Feeling something that is alive near me helps me cope with that."

This will be a long month...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, things went south real fast because of Katarina. Another rather short chapter, sorry about that guys, there isn't much to write about until we get to the real plot here, which will be introduced next time. Cliffhanger gang go! As always, if you want to share something, give your opinion or tell me ways in which I could improve, I would love to read your comments! Stay safe and have a great day!


	16. An Unexpected Cellmate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You discover that there was another man in your cell all along. Who is he, and is he trustworthy? Maybe he can help you out of this entire situation. You aren't sure what to believe, and aren't sure if Katarina feels the same way. Let's see how the story develops!

You aren't sure how much time has passed exactly since you were taken in, however, depending on how many meals you get a day, you have been here for either 14 or 28 days. Two weeks seems more likely though because it doesn't feel like almost a whole month. During your time in the dark cell, you slowly became glad Katarina was locked up with you, as it was pitch black here, and feeling something alive near you was comforting. The bad side of the entire thing was that during these two weeks, you learned of the woman's favorite food, her favorite place, her favorite blacksmith, her family's history, how she got sent to kill Lux, her childhood, her past pets, the important people she had killed (half of which she thoroughly explained to you) and her plans for the future. When did she get so talkative? Where did the "Cool assassin woman" persona go? You kinda missed it. Constant chatter could get pretty annoying. Still, it was better than sitting alone in the cell. You, on the other hand, talked little, as you were most worried about Lux and Garen. Proving you were a mage definitely led to some investigation of the mansion. They most likely found the training ground you two used. You hope Lux shifted the blame on you, saying you constantly went to the woods to practice. It would make it easier for her. And what about Garen? He stood behind you all the time. His reputation has surely taken a hit. A part of you always silently whispered in your ear to leave this behind before it was too late. Before you made friends. Now that you think about it, what about your other friends? They weren't many, but Fiora has probably been investigated too, along with the guards you often spoke to. Damn it all!

You shift in your cell. A little snore can be heard from somewhere to the right. Katarina is probably sleeping. You should go to sleep too. As you shift around, touching the ground, trying to find where the hell your blanket was, you suddenly hear chains rattling somewhere to your left. You jump, startled by the sudden noise, and try to get up on your legs, however, you don't have any sense of direction in the dark and lose your footing, stumbling in the dark, falling down. As you get up, you hear a chuckle from what you assume to be the other side of the cell. Was there someone else here? No, that's impossible. You would have surely heard him or her by now. Besides, the guards were always bringing only to portions of food here, one for you and one for Katarina. You look around, confused. Maybe you were finally losing it. A mix of constant talk and pure darkness can do that to you, you suppose. As you let out a sigh, you suddenly hear a voice from the other side of the cell.

"I didn't even need my eyes to see what happened. Pretty clumsy, aren't you, Ice Mage? Or, Derrick, rather."

What the fuck? A male voice was now clearly able to be heard from the other side of the room.

"Who are you? And how do you know my name? Also since when were you her-"

"Woah, Woah! Calm down, Derrick. One question at a time. That way it is fair, right?"

"I... I suppose so. Excuse my manners, however, I didn't expect a sudden guest. I don't know when they dragged you in, but I must have been asleep. Welcome to our little dark cell!"

"I should be welcoming you. I was here from quite a while before the two of you were dragged in."

"What?! How didn't we hear you up until now?"

"The guards gave me some sort of heavy sedative last time they came in. Tired of my constant chatter, they said. I have been in some sort of sleep for a bit."

A bit? If what the man said was true, he has been out for over two weeks? How hasn't he died from starvation?

"Uhhh... You must be pretty hungry, right?"

"Yup. Have you got some leftovers? I think they mixed in some sort of potion in too, as the taste wasn't the usual one. They constantly test magical things on me. I guess this time it kept me fed for a bit. Not enough, apparently. I am starving!"

"Here you go."

You push the tray in the direction of the man's voice, a bit of bread, meat and water still left on it. You hear some more chain shackles as he picks it up and begins eating. You sit around for a while, waiting for him to finish.

"Man, that was good! You have no idea what's it like to eat after two weeks!"

"Yeah, I don't... Now, will you answer my questions?"

You hear more shackles move and assume the man has made some gesture with his hands.

"Go ahead!"

"How do you know my name?"

"Oh. Well, I wasn't fully asleep at all times. I had little bits of reality mix in with my dreams. I could tell they were real, they weren't as weird as what I usually dreamt of. Anyway, I heard some parts of your conversation... or rather I heard that woman in here talking. Now that I think about it, it's the first time I have heard your voice! It sounds good."

What a weird compliment.

"Uh... Thanks? I mean, listening to us talking would have been creepy in any other circumstance, but I guess you weren't in control."

The two of you sit around and chat for a while. You learn that the name of the man is Sylas. He has been locked up in here for quite a while if what he is saying is true. When you asked him about his past profession, he told you he was a mercenary too. Seeing as how he is chained up all the way down here, you doubt that a bit. Why would a mercenary be chained up so deep if not for...

"Hey, Sylas?"

"What's up?"

"Are you a mage?"

"Sort of. Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering why a mercenary might be chained up so deep if not for the use of magic."

"Yeah, I was a fire mage before. I lit a torch up once and the threw me in here!"

"Really? For something so small?"

"Of course! Why would I lie to you? You can even come and touch my hand to feel the magic for yourself if you don't trust me."

"No, I'm sorry for having my doubts. After all, the three locked up in this room are a master assassin, a fighter whose magic endangers Demacia and the Crownguard family and you."

"Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't trust me."

After a bit more chatting, you decide to go to sleep, curling up as far from the man as possible. Nothing bad ever came from being careful, right? That meant getting close to Katarina, whose snores weren't helping your struggle to fall asleep. After "sleeping" for what you assume to be roughly five to six hours, Katarina wakes up and you get up with her too. She spends some time talking to your new cellmate and the two of them seem to get along well. Sylas was fascinated by the way Noxians viewed magic and exploited its use for the greater good of Noxus. They chatted for hours while you sat next to the woman, silent, thinking. You swear you have heard Lux mention the name Sylas a couple of times before... Why would something as harmless as a fire mage be locked up so far beneath the ground? And why would a Crownguard know of him? Lighting a torch with fire magic could get you into jail, but not in the deepest cells of the Demacian dungeons. Something wasn't right. He wasn't telling the truth. You were getting more and more sure of that with every sentence he said. All seemed to show hate for Demacians and their ways of life. He seemed like a man who hated the way mages were being treated and wanted some sort of revolution. Something was wrong. Every word he said about himself seemed untrue in one way or another, however, you weren't sure if it was just you who noticed it. Katarina didn't seem to be disturbed by anything. Maybe you were just overreacting... 

Whenever the guards came to feed you, Sylas acted asleep and later asked for leftovers. You asked him why was that for and he told you he didn't want to be put to sleep again. That was understandable... Still, there was something wrong. Your gut had only lied to you once before and now it was telling you not to fully trust this man. What also concerned you was that Katarina now didn't go to sleep alongside you. She chatted with Sylas until you fell asleep. Were they scheming something while you slept? Once you decided to try and stay awake, just to see, however, nothing seemed to happen. You just fell asleep doon after, although you weren't too tired...

Meanwhile, you tried to ask the guards about Lux, Garen, Fiora, Tiana, and what was happening in general. The only response you ever got, however, was either silence or 'I'm sorry, Derrick. Talking with prisoners isn't allowed.' It made you feel pretty bad and also worried, as you had no idea what was going on. Was your fate already sealed? Maybe they were already planning an execution of some sort... You didn't want to think about it too much. It made you feel sad. Your life had been quite exciting, and dying in such a mundane way seemed... unnatural, really. Huh, imagine being sad that you will die not because you will be dead but because your death will be dumb. Maybe you were truly losing it... With Katarina constantly talking to Sylas now instead of you, you had some time to reminisce about your life in Demacia. It was good while it lasted, that was what you figured at the end. If not executed, you'd be exiled. That meant no Garen, no Fiora, no mansion, and most importantly, no Lux. You didn't even want to think about that. You finally found someone who filled the hole that Trika left in you when she died and now it would be open again. What did you do to deserve that? With such thoughts, you usually went to sleep.

One day, while Sylas was talking about his magic past, telling Katarina some random story about a time when he lit a forest on fire, you finally get fed up, your curiosity getting the best of you.

"Sylas, I want to ask you something..."

"Oh, then, by all means, do so, my friend!"

"Are you telling the truth?" You ask, getting straight to the point. An awkward silence falls in the cell.

"I don't think I get what you are saying, friend. Why would I lie?"

"Well, simply put, I don't believe someone with a little fire in them would get locked up in the deepest containment."

"I lit a forest on fire, I just told you-"

"There is literally no reason for a fire mage to hang around a place they recently burned unless they are dumb. And you seem quite smart..."

"I-"

Katarina suddenly joins in. "Yeah, I never thought about that until now... Why would you be here? Are you hiding something, Sylas?"

Sylas stays silent for a while and then says. "Fine then. Why don't you check?"

"How?" Asks Katarina.

"Derrick here should know. Depending on the specialty of a mage, their touch feels different. A water mage's hand is always wet, a necromancer's always cold and a fire mage's hand is always hot. Grab my hand if you do not trust me, Derrick."

"I-" You begin to say, but Katarina cuts you off.

"Go for it! Nothing bad can come from it, right. He is chained up after all."

"Alright." You say as you walk forward to where you assume Sylas is. He makes some noises with his chains as he gets up too, so you orientate yourself better and stop when you assume you are close enough to him. "Put your hand forward." You command.

"With pleasure, my friend..." Sylas says with a tone you don't like. You reach out, touch his hand, and feel... nothing. As if you are touching a normal person's hand yet... It kind of feels like it is empty. What? You try to pull away but suddenly realize he has caught you and doesn't let go. You try to back off, but get kicked in the legs by Katarina and fall with a yelp of surprise. What was going on? Suddenly, you feel the prisoner's hand getting colder and colder, while you begin to feel weaker and weaker, even feverish. What the hell is going on?! You hear Sylas begin to chuckle as you fall to your knees, feeling exhausted. 

"What... the fuck... are you-" You can't even finish your sentence as you almost faint. 

"is it working?" You hear Katarina ask.

Sylas only chuckles and suddenly you get thrown away to the side, hitting your head on the iron bars. You shout in pain and clutch your bleeding nose as you turn around. You see Sylas glowing... rather some strange symbols on his skin begin to shine in the cold blue color of your ice. You see him smash the chains on his hands in the ground, sending a wave of ice through them until it reaches their base, which consists of some sort of mechanisms hidden under two blocks of stone. The stone freezes up completely, along with the cranking mechanism, and Sylas yanks forward with all of his might, breaking the chains off the wall. He stands there for a couple of seconds and begins laughing. You aren't too sure what just happened, however, you know that this is bad. He then turns to the wall and makes a punching motion towards them, sending even more ice into it, freezing a part of it completely. He then smashed against it with his chains and breaks it completely. The sudden light of a corridor behind it blinds you briefly and Sylas laughs again as you feel the entire building shake from the impact. he turns around to you and shoots another bolt of ice over you. The ceiling begins to crumble and before you manage to move away, a couple of rocks fall over you. You scream, expecting to die, however you get lucky, and the big stone that was about to crush you was somehow stopped by a smaller part of debris next to you. It didn't crush you, however, you couldn't get your legs out from under it. They were stuck under it completely.

"So much power inside such a simple man... You were quite a surprise, Derrick. This will go towards my cause. I will make sure to make a statue honoring your assistance in my escape. Until then, I will be sure to watch your execution!"

"What did you do? And what execution?" You manage to ask through gritted teeth, as some rocks did hit you pretty bad.

"I'd rather not tell you that." He points towards the frozen hole behind him. "Who do you think will take the entire blame for this, huh? It looks as if you attempted to escape but got crushed in your efforts. Helping criminals escape isn't a light crime, is it, my friend?" He hops out of the hole and says "Farewell, my friend!" Before you hear his footsteps down the hall. Katarina begins to head over to the hole as well, but she turns to take a final look towards you.

"Sorry for that, Derrick... I thought he was going to let you run away too... But it is what it is."

"You planned all of this, while I slept, didn't you?" You say through gritted teeth.

"Yeah... Kind of. We didn't tell you, because you were too noble and wouldn't want to help us. Your fault for ending up there." She begins to walk away and you close your eyes angrily and shout.

"Damn you all! I thought... Is this what I get for listening to your talking for two weeks straight?"

Katarina stops, looks around, and jumps back next to you, a weird expression on her face.

"Look... I am sorry Derrick. You are a great guy, I will give you that... However, great people don't last long in this world. You did make it through a lot though, I will give you that. I..." She wipes away the blood on your face. "I hope you will forgive me before you die." With that she makes her way over to the hole and jumps out, her red hair the last thing you see. 

"Damn it all!" You shout to no one in particular as you try to move the stones from yourself. It was pointless, however, as the stone must have weighed at least as much as a cow. And you weren't that strong. A couple of tears come in your eyes, from the feeling of being betrayed and the feeling of hopelessness. You slam your fist down onto the rock and await your faith as you can already hear shouting and footsteps coming from behind the cell door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, betrayal sucks. However, it was to be expected from people like Sylas and Katarina. Derrick is in quite a shitty spot right now, but I think I have a rough idea of what will happen now. Expect some action in the next couple of chapters, as Sylas is on the run and everyone thinks you are the one to blame. As always, comment if you liked anything in particular or have any suggestions, stay safe and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you all soon!


	17. A Chaotic Capital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You manage to escape from the prison yourself, only to find yourself standing amidst the ruins of the Demacian capital, now overrun by mages, riled up by Sylas. You make your way towards the capital building, hoping to find a familiar face to help you reach Lux.

As you hear banging coming from the door, you get a hold of yourself and try to wiggle out of the debris that has fallen on top of you. Your legs are pretty stuck, however, you believe that if you somehow get your shoes off, you might be able to wiggle them free. The guards can be heard shouting commands at one another as you notice the sound of a keychain rustling from behind the big door. They will be inside any moment now, you have no time to take off your boots, you aren't sure if it is even possible. You pull all of your remaining power and send it through your hands. Balls of cold whirl around in your hands, gathering the dampness in both the air and the cell alike, forming small blizzards in your hands. You weren't great at precise magic usage, however, when you had to use large bursts of it, you were pretty good. The rock gets completely frozen in rock, as you smash your half-frozen fists into the big slab that is covering you. you then punch it with all of your strength, which makes the brittle stone crack in half, splitting in two. Your right fist bloodied, you rise just in time, as the door bursts open and what you assume to be half the prison guard come pouring in. Several cries of 'HALT!' can be heard, however, you are certain that getting caught means certain death this time around. Especially since the hole which Sylas blew open with your ice was still melting away. Every evidence points straight at you and this time, you believe neither Garen or Lux will be able to save you. You are pretty tired but have some mana left in you still, which you use to make distance from the guards, throwing a ball of ice and freezing the lock of the prison cell up. It would take them a couple of minutes to get through, you wager. Rushing out of the hole, you follow the hallway to the left. 

As you run from the guards, you realize that all you had on you was your pants and boots. Everything else was taken, probably in some armory upstairs. You had to get your sword, however, now wasn't the time for that. Instead, you searched around for any weapon you could find. Your life as a mercenary taught you to improvise as much as possible, so you were pretty good with all types of weapons, except lances. Horsefigthing was never your thing. Suddenly, the hallway came to an end. A dead-end at that. Where did Sylas and Katarina go off to? After a closer examination, you notice some scratch marks on the floor below you, as if a heavy door slid open on the smooth stone. A secret door? You quickly begin looking at all of the bricks, looking for a switch, when you notice a small 'K' scribbled on one of them. Pushing it makes the wall in front of you shiver and then slowly open. Did Katarina leave that message? Maybe it simply meant 'Key' and was scribbled by some previous prisoner. Either way, you couldn't care less as you hear the sound of breaking ice from the end of the hall. You slip inside of the darkroom that gets revealed by the now not-so-hidden door and take a look around. It is some sort of armory, although one that hasn't seen much use. The only armor is a suit of heavy plate, which would harm you more than help you with its weight. You do, however, find an iron sword, similar to the ones the guards wear and a small crossbow, along with a dozen arrows. You hang both on your belt and dash through the actual door, which is flung open from the other escapees. 

Rushing out probably wasn't a great idea, as you crash into two guards, knocking both of them down. "Criminal!" You hear one of them shout, as he attempts to get his dagger out. The other one tries to grasp onto something on you to hold you in place, however, you are half-naked, so he ends up scratching your shoulder instead. You punch the one under you in the jaw, knocking him out, and use the motion to land a roundhouse kick into the face of the other one. He goes tumbling backward with a shout and falls unconscious as you get up and pick up the dagger of the man under you, along with his other sword, which you hang on your other hip. A walking weapon at this point, you dash along the long prison halls. What disturbs you is that all of the cells were open and mostly empty save for a couple of cripples or old people who couldn't escape by themselves. You curse. The big blast drew all the guards to you and Sylas had time to overpower the guards, which now were laying down, dead, or knocked out. You couldn't tell. You rush out of the main prison gate without much trouble, as most of the soldiers were out of commission. The sight outside made you freeze in your tracks for a bit.

Smoke columns are rising from several spots of the city. You see guards running around the streets, chasing after commoners who fling spells at them. You see mobs of what you assume to have been undercover mages rushing along the streets, blasting spells around. What the hell did that bastard do? You see the body of a soldier, who was hit by a fireball in the belly spread next to the door. The heat must have killed him, rather than the initial impact, as his plate armor was still in a relatively good state. 'Gods forgive me for this.' You say as you take his armor off and strap the leather chest onto yourself and the steel pauldrons on your shoulders. A bit more protected, you run into the backstreets of the city, looking for anyone that you knew, however, hoping to find Lux. From what you saw, the capital building was still relatively safe. At least no smoke was coming out of it. You hoped she was inside of there, safe. Fiora and Garen, however? You weren't too sure about them. You pick up a half-charred cloak from the ground and put it on, pulling the hood over your head. Better to lay low for now. You use the balconies of the smaller buildings, most of which were deserted, to climb onto the rooftops. Traveling on these should be safer. As you jump across the closely-built houses, you manage to get a grasp of exactly how serious the situation actually was. It appears that most of the guards were getting pushed towards the capital building, with some leftover groups forming last stands against the rather big mass of people and others trying to get back tot heir squads, sneaking around the streets. The sky was dark with clouds and rain began to slowly drip onto your hood as you made haste to reach someplace safe.

The closely-built slums of the city begin to disperse as you make your way closer and closer to the main building. The little houses gave way to the bigger ones of the middle class of Demacia. With the roofs getting higher and wet due to the rain, you decide it would be best to carry on by foot. You drop down onto the streets, surrounded by random debris and what remained of the little marketplace that was here before the mages came. You quietly make your way through the backstreets of the city, avoiding contact with anyone. You found some hiding civilians which threatened you with shortswords, so you backed off, a band of dead guards, pierced by shards made of stone, and a man robbing the dead. 'You bastard!' You shout at him, kicking him in the face, knocking him out. Tempted to kill him, you calm yourself and you carry on. Such chaos... it was a battlefield out here! Suddenly, you hear the clash of steel somewhere to your right. You quickly make your way over, hoping to find some soldiers you can help. Instead, you find some mages that need help, as you see a roughed up Fiora dash between the 5 men, stabbing them all with her sword and slashing for their vital points. They all fall and she turns around to a dying soldier, holding his injured shoulder, laying down in the corner. 'We have to get you out of here!' you hear her say as she goes over to him. The man says something and Fiora answers 'I am not leaving my squad members behind. We will find a way to get you to a healer.' She tries to pick him up, but not only is he too heavy for her but it also causes him immense pain as he screams. Fiora lays him back down and looks around, finally laying eyes on you. 

"You saw what happened to your friends. Walk away while you can, mage. You may get to live another day."

"I am not your enemy, Fiora." You say as you take your hood off.

She stares at your face for a second, confused, and then she gives you such a look that you wish you hadn't shown her who you were.

"Derrick... You tricked me! You let that monster out! You... You bastard!" She shouts, lunging towards you angrily. You manage to sidestep the hit and pull out the two swords on your belt. 

"Wait, Fiora, please! Listen to me! I was framed! It wasn't my fault! We have to tell the others what this man can do!"

She lunges at you again, smashing her rapier with astonishing force into your swords. 'She means to kill me' you suddenly realize as you block the flurry of blows that follows.

"Oh yeah? I know he can turn people on their friends!" She slams a fast attack into your dies which you block by pure luck. "Or at least turn weaklings on their friends!"

You press the attack, trying to get her to make a mistake, however, the master duelist doesn't even flinch under any of the blows you aim at her.

"He is a thief! Sylas can steal the magic power of any living being to use it against others or for himself! That's how he escaped. I tried to-" a sudden lunge stops you mid-sentence as you desperately try to dodge the swing at your face. You fail and she manages to cut a straight line over the bridge of your nose. Yous tumble backward, your nose filling up with blood, coughing out some of it that came down your throat. During this, Fiora doesn't let you rest, jumping at you again, this time from a different angle. You suddenly change direction and she lunges into the air. You crash into her with your shoulder, knocking her off balance, however, as you try to punch her in the face to knock her out, she kicks you in the groin. You give a muffled cry of pain and stumble backward again as she regains her footing. Through gritted teeth, you say:

"He touched me and stole my magic. He blew a hole through the wall that way. I couldn't have known! Please, listen to me!" The look in her eyes tells you she doesn't even care what you say anymore. She lunges again and suddenly, the floor beneath you lights up. 

"What the-" You manage to say, before the woman dashes at you once again, getting a stab into your side. You grunt and turn around. Fiora is already behind you, however, and stabs you again, this time between your shoulder-plates. This time you cry out and swing blindly at her. She doesn't expect that and almost gets caught by the wide arc your blade does in the air, however, she manages to duck last second and the sword simply flies by her hair. Fueled by rage, you begin swinging rapidly at your past instructor, spinning around, slashing at her repeatedly, kicking, dashing, and lunging, for a moment forgetting about who you are fighting. As you cut her right hand, however, she cries out and the noise brings you back to your senses. You take a step back as Fiora tumbles back a bit, blood seeping through the white sleeves of her clothes.

"Fiora, I am innocent! Please, listen to me! Sylas is capable of unimaginable things if he gets close to someone. We have to stop him." She lunges at you again, however, with what appears to be tears in her eyes.

"It's because of you! You set him free and he killed my soldiers! His mass of scum torched the capital!" Each word is followed by a crushing blow. You wonder where she gets all of this power from. The circle of light under your legs slowly begins to fade as she does that. "I trusted you, Derrick! I put so much effort into those bloody training sessions only for you to betray everyone!" You get angry at that. Didn't she hear what you said before? Suddenly, you swat her sword away with your own and rush her with your body, pulling her down along you. The two of you fall and begin to fight, Fiora punching at your face. You are way stronger than her when it comes to brute force, however, and quickly overpower her, holding her hands in yours.

"Look at this, Fiora!" Look, goddammit!" Yous shout as you edge the arm Sylas grabbed and put it in front of her face. The red marks of a hand lay there, as if someone made out of fire had shaken your hand. She looks at it for a second and you feel her stop struggling under your arm. She has a look of disbelief on her face. "He stole my power Fiora. He took it from me as if I was a bottle of wine that was poured into a cup! That's what he does! Sylas managed to pull off feats that I couldn't dream of when using my magic. He amplifies it somehow. That's how he blew that hole open! Do you trust me now?" You shout as you look into her widened eyes. Her struggle against you comes to a full stop and suddenly she pulls you in for a hug.

"I'm sorry... I'm so so sorry... I shouldn't have doubted you, not after all the things we have done together."

She continues to mutter 'I'm sorry' for a bit before you pull yourself from her grasp and help her up. She looks at your nose with guilt in her eyes, but that is the least of your problems.

"Listen, I ain't mad at you for thinking I am a traitor. Everyone would have done the same." You offer her your hand. "Friends?"

She cautiously takes it and manages a sad, small smile. "I hope so."

"Good. Now, let me fetch that friend of yours..." You turn to the soldier and find him passed out completely from blood loss. "Damn."

"We can... Let's patch him up and we'll leave Ed here, tucked in the broken house there." She points towards one of the nearby buildings. The two of you do that, and on the way out of the house, you ask Fiora:

"What was that circle by the way?"

"It's... It's a secret family tactic - one that we use only when we really want to kill our opponent. Luckily..." she takes a glance at you, looking guilty before she continues. "Luckily you pissed me off so much I forgot about the entire thing and didn't manage to complete it. Be glad I didn't."

"I am." You say as you manage a little chuckle. You regret it immediately as it makes your nose hurt badly and sends another rush of blood down your throat, which you have to cough out. "Do I look bad?"

"Yeah. Your face is a bloody mess."

"Good. Maybe we can scare people off instead of getting into fights."

With that, the two of you make your way through the back alleys of the city quietly, aiming for the trading district, where you and Lux used to go shopping. The streets are abandoned, save for a couple of civilians still rushing about, looking for a hiding place. You look at a nearby pool of rainwater to see how you look and almost get scared. Due to the time you spent underground, you had grown a thick beard, that was now covered in the blood rushing from your nose wound. You looked like an oversized cannibal dwarf who had just eaten. Huh, that was a weird comparison... either way, you didn't look pleasant, so while waiting for Fiora to search through the market, you use the time to cut your beard with your knife. When you were done, you still had a beard, however, it was a great deal shorter and you looked almost like yourself again. Carefully, you used the water in the little pond that was forming to wash your face too, avoiding your wound in fear of getting it dirty. When Fiora came out and saw you, she nodded, approvingly and the two of you were on your way again. According to Fiora, Garen was sent to this part of the city to escort the nobility into the capital building, which served as a makeshift stronghold for now. As the two of you made your way along the road that leads up to the hill where the majority of the nobility had settled. Nothing could be heard, besides the vacant screams of soldiers and mages alike, coming from the main streets of the city. The atmosphere was uneasy, to say the least, and neither you nor Fiora spoke.

Nothing interesting happened, as the two of you found what was essentially a dead part of the city. Completely abandoned, you found naught but a couple of rats and corpses of people who weren't too lucky. All of them were mages though, so it was safe to say Garen was safe and sound, along with his team. As you come out on one of the main streets, you hear shouting and the sound of steel against steel. The two of you look at each other and without losing any time, you run to the sound of the battle. As you turn the corner, you see what appears to be a massive mele, as soldiers clash against mages in one big fight. There is an entire square, a broken fountain in the middle, full of fighting men and women. You notice the taller soldier, clad in armor, shouting commands and swinging his blade against three enemies at once. Garen looks pretty roughed up but unhurt as a fireball dissolves into his armor. He punches one of the mages, cuts the other one in the chest, and kicks the remaining woman down, knocking her out. You and Fiora quickly join in on the fight. Seeing as how you might get confused for an enemy, you decide against using your magic for now. Instead, you throw away the two shortswords you were wielding and pick up one bastard sword, lying on the ground. Feeling way more comfortable, you charge into battle, taking the wizards from behind. They weren't expecting a flank, so the blow was quite crushing. Fiora stabbed away at everyone, however, seeing as how most of these people were random civilians, you hit them with the hilt of your blade when possible instead, knocking them out. Men were shouting commands as the mage force was swiftly cleaned out. You managed to knock out about a tenth of the mages, but to your surprise, most of the wizards weren't killed, just injured. Garen must have given his soldiers strict orders to kill only when completely necessary, as a column of tied up civilians were dragged out of the square. As the soldiers sat down to rest, Garen stepped towards you, his eyes dark.

"Glad to see you well, Fiora." He said.

"Glad to see you are good too, Garen." The woman answered. The man then looks at you, his face not showing any hint of his emotions.

"I should put you in chains along with those mages there." He says as he turns to completely face you. "Give me a single reason not to do so."

"Well, for one, I can be of use." That doesn't seem to impress Garen whatsoever, so you continue. "I also know what Sylas truly can do. That's how he escaped. I have vital information that could save the city."

"From what I hear, Sylas escaped because you blasted a hole through the wall of the cell. He appears to be able to make people turn on their friends."

Not this again... "Listen, that's not what happened. On my honor as your sister's guard, I swear what I am saying is the truth. Sylas can take the magic of anyone nearby." This seems to intrigue Garen.

"Go on."

"Well, he managed to get a hold on my hand-" You show him the red mark on your palm. "He drained me of my abilities and used the power he had been storing for years to free himself from the chains and escape."

"Don't get me wrong, Derrick. I trust you, the marks on your hand prove your story as I don't know a weapon that can cause such a scar. However, I have orders to take you into custody as soon as I see you. Let's say that after the rumors about you freeing Sylas spread, the circle of people who stood up to you dwindled to somewhere around zero. Nobody wants to be associated with a mage." He turns his back to you and mutters. "Why didn't you tell me, Derrick? If I knew I could have prevented the meeting between you and Tiana from ever happening..." That sentence slaps you in the face. 

"What? I thought... I thought you would report me straight away."

"Huh, and lose one of my best men? Not only were you hiding your spells efficiently, but you are also honest and have honor. I can afford to overlook magic in someone who controls it well, as long as he is like you."

"I... Thank you, Commander. I didn't expect that."

"Yeah, I guess it isn't too easy to expect such a thing with the way I usually am. I don't blame you for not telling me earlier. Nothing we can do, however." He turns back around to you. "We have to move soon. All of my men know of what seems to be the only ice-mage in town, so feel free to use your spells in front of them without fear of being killed. They are used to those things. Plus it's too late to hide. Your only hope of living through the trial after this battle is to somehow prove yourself valuable enough in order to persuade the higher-ups to spare your life. Don't hold back. Show them what you can do."

With a determined nod, you, Garen, Fiora, and the rest of his men move forward through the town, towards the main building, where a large column of smoke was rising. A mix of fear of the unknown, doubt and hopelessness filled you, however, the itch for a battle that you always got before a big fight overtook it all and you managed a little smile as you made your way through the streets. Flexing your fists, you murmured to yourself "Here we go..." as you got closer and closer to the column of smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this chapter was long. A bit dark too, with all the fighting and death that is all over the Demacian capital. As you can see, Derrick is about to get into some real action in the next chapter on his journey to find Lux. I hope I did a good job describing all of the fighting that went on throughout this chapter. Also, I hope the atmosphere came out as well as I imagined it. Anyway, I have some plans for the next chapter, which I hope will come out soon. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this one, make sure to let me know if something rubbed you the wrong way and you want me to make some adjustments in the next one and stay safe!


	18. A Clash of Demacians

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As you make your way through the city, you join up with the main force, defending the capital palace. Prince Jarvan IV allows you to fight in this last battle to see what you are worth. You take that chance. One thing comes to another and Garen comes face to face with Sylas. What will the outcome of this fight be?

'Never trust a man within the deepest parts of the Demacian dungeons' you think to yourself as you walk through the city with Garen's small force. 'Trust a Noxian red-head assassin with two daggers even less.' Katarina had betrayed you every single time the opportunity had presented itself. You should have expected nothing less. And now you were in this sorry mess. Life has been quite mischievous recently. You were going out on one of the big plazas, however, so you pushed those thoughts to the back of your head and unsheathe the longsword from your belt, the sound of leather rubbing over metal barely audible through the clatter of plate armor and the background noise that consisted of fires, crumbling buildings, shouts, and swords clashing against one another in the distance. Garen does the same with his greatsword and Fiora readies her rapier. The soldiers follow suit.

"Keep the captives safe. Should they be freed, we are dead." Garen shouted towards his men. They made a circle around the mages, who were tied up in ropes dipped in what appeared to be the same substance you were made to drink a couple of weeks back. On the plaza itself, there was a battle. Or rather the aftermath of it, the buildings charred, destroyed or crumbling, and amidst the remains, there were some civilians which Garen added to his already big group. His soldiers were competent, however, and they didn't allow anyone to disturb their formation or attempt to escape. Not that anyone tried. Garen was taller than everyone, wearing full plate armor and a giant sword that could probably cut you in half. Even the mages didn't attempt anything.

"Hey, Garen." You call him over to one of the walls you have been examining. He makes his way next to you and asks "What is it, Derrick?"

"See this?" You ask, pointing at the white paint on one of the outer walls of the establishment. There were huge gashes in the paint as if something heavy was dragged across it with strength. On the ground, there were blueish holes, about two fingers deep, essence still rising from them. What was important was that they were in the shape of a chain link. "Sylas?" You look up at Garen.

"Most likely. If what you told me was true, magic surges through him every time he steals it from someone else. His chains must have been on the ground this time, and the immense power burned those holes here. It would also ex[lain those gashes on the wall there. Haven't seen a weapon that can do those. Good find, soldier." You stand up as Garen orders his men to follow him closely without straying away. You were getting into dangerous territory now. For one, Sylas had passed through here before you, so he must be in the vicinity.

"Men, listen up! I want a close formation, as close as you can without it hindering your ability to use your weapons should we be attacked. Lady Fiora will watch our backside while I and Derrick will take the front. Your main goal is to keep the people here safe and the mages from escaping. If the front line is attacked, I want four of you to come forward to assist us. The others, you will take their place. If the backside is struck, I want you to form a wall of soldiers and assist Lady Fiora. In the close confinement of the streets, numbers don't matter as much, so keeping a tight formation will be ideal. Remember, keep your shields up, they absorb most of the magic they can throw at you and be alert. We march!" After that quick briefing, you and Garen fall in, the group behind you and Fiora goes to the back. 

"Derrick, have you ever before encountered such a mage as Sylas? What is the best way to stop him?" Garen asks as you make your way through the smoke-filled streets.

You ponder for a while before answering. "Not really. He appears to be rather unique. I have seen people make clones of others, I have seen people mimic appearances, but I have yet to see someone who is able to use the power of others for himself."

"That's bad. I was hoping you would have some experience that could help us in the inevitable encounter."

"Well, seeing as how his hands are bound, his main source of power is most likely the magic he steals. I don't know if he is able to cause much damage with those chains of his, nor how fast he can fight with them."

"...which means a person with no magic would be the ideal opponent." Garen finishes for you.

"Exactly. Although this person should also be skilled in combat, a veteran, if you will, as he seems mischievous. I'm guessing Sylas will fight dirty, so you'd have to be able to react accordingly."

"Yes, that seems like a good idea... And if he decides to use the magic of somebody else, it would be good if his opponent had some form of magic resistance to aid him."

"Well, I hope that big armor of yours ain't just for show, commander. You seem to be the ideal man for this fight."

Garen nods and the two of you carry on in silence until he asks again.

"And what about the others?"

"The others, commander?" You ask confused.

"The other mages. Do you know of some easily exploitable weaknesses?"

"Well, it depends on the mage. And their specialty, mainly."

"Tell me what you know."

"A fire mage is usually skilled only in close quarters, as sending his flames over great distances costs too much of his energy and is simply not effective. This, of course, varies, however, in most cases, it's the truth. A water mage is pretty deadly, as his water attacks can be refined and made precise in order to pierce armor, however, that takes much concentration, so if you get close to him, he probably won't be able to do much but get you wet before you kill him. An earth mage needs some time to prepare his attacks, as he has to carve rocks out of his environment to throw at you. His attacks are usually devastating but slow, so keeping pace with them is the best idea. Air is pretty complicated, however. It is precise and quite powerful. I would say they are the most dangerous as the only real counter tot hem is waiting for them to tire, by which point you'd most likely be dead."

"We'll see about that." Garen murmurs. "Thank you for the tips, Derrick. But I can't help to wonder about the other types of magic. Like yours. Ice. Or..." he hesitates for a bit. "... you know, the other types, like light... shadow, void magic, the lot."

"Those are all different, commander. Combinations of other types are hard to counter but also hard to use. You will find it easy to fight them if such mages exist between the civilians. They probably have no practice with them and will be almost harmless."

"Good," Garen says with a nod. The two of you carry in silence until you finally make your way to the plaza in front of the capital building... or what remained of it.

Spells flew by as elite guards, soldiers, sellswords, and heroes smashed against a swarm of mages. Garen swore, you swore too and your group quickly ran behind the line of the crown protectors. Garen's soldiers gave their prisoners to the guards at the palace and joined their brothers swiftly. Garen, however, rushed to his aunt, who was standing beside a man clad in armor, carrying a giant spear. Jarvan the Fourth, you assume. He looks ready to jump into battle but a man who appeared to be his advisor and a couple of guards were stopping him from doing so. You can't hear what Garen was saying to them, but they all looked at you, and Garen motions you closer. It was hard to focus on the conversation with a battle so close by, but nevertheless, you came closer.

"So this is our turncloak, huh?" You hear the prince say as he eyes you up and down.

"He is no turncloak, Your Grace," Garen said as he put his fist on his chest. "You have no idea what he has done for my family. Only in the last hour or so, he helped me immensely. I beg of you, let him stay."

"He has no right to do so," Tiana said as she looked at you in disgust. "Filth like him belongs in the prison."

You ignore that insult and step forward yourself. "Your Grace, I don't deny my use of magic. I knew I couldn't hide it forever. However, I want to serve house Crownguard even now. Please, allow me to at least join this battle. If I die, I will be happy to do so for Lu- for Demacia. If I live, then you may judge me as you see fit. I can be of use." At that, Garen nods and looks back at the prince.

"Your Grace, you can't be considering the offer of this scum-"

"I am. And I will grant it. He speaks true, I can see it in his eyes. I know how a determined man looks, and this is one of them. Let him fight. We will see if he proves to be what he says."

"Thank you, Your Grace."

"No need, soldier. Go on and do your duty."

Garen and you unsheathe your swords and run down the steps of the royal palace, to the front-line of the fight. At least you have been given a chance. You were glad about that. Maybe if you proved yourself useful enough, you could even earn a pardon. See Lux again... Those thoughts are quickly dismissed, however, as you reach the fight.

It is almost a nostalgia that hits you at first. A massive battlefield, your allies by your side, and the enemy in front. A constantly moving battle-front. The clang of swords, deafening and thunderous, drowning everything else from the air. You rush into the fray and swing your longsword at a man, who was shooting stone spikes at your brothers. It catches him by surprise and you cut him in the stomach, then by the neck and he falls down. You move on to the next target, adrenaline washing over your body. This time it's a woman. She throws a fireball at you, but you sniff it out with a cold puff from your own hand. The fact that a wizard has turned against her shocks the girl long enough for you to kick her in the face, knocking her unconscious. Suddenly, you feel a sharp pain at your shoulder. You turn around and see and water mage slashing at you with a flurry of sharpened tentacles. You freeze your left hand and grab hold of one of them, freezing it solid, then smashing it with your sword. The sudden loss of such a large investment of his power staggers the man and you quickly close in, slashing at his throat. Without stopping, you turn around just in time to see a massive distortion in the air heading your way. 'Wind.' You think to yourself as you dash tot he side. It passes through your feet, despite your efforts and you feel multiple small cuts forming on your feet, the gusts of air doing their work. They don't trouble you too much and you hide begin some people fighting, running form the wind mage. He wouldn't dare shoot here, his friends are too close. Speaking of his friends, a man with a fiery blade throws himself at you, screaming some battle-cry. You block the sword as best as possible, however, the heat from it is immense and your face begins to burn up as he pushes his sword onto you. Having enough burn marks on your body already, you slide the blade off yours and kick him in the guts with your knee, driving the air out of him. He falls down and you kick his face too, knocking him out. 'Wasn't expecting an enchanter.' You murmur to yourself as you turn around once again, to see yourself standing face to face with three people. Two of them were women and the one in front was a really big man. Over two meters tall, you guess. He held a big sword and gave a shout, at which the women shot him with some weird light. He suddenly grew even more and his eyes lit up. 'More enchanters?!' you shout as he swings the big chunk of iron at you. You didge to the side as the sword smashes the pavement into bits. These were no newcomers to magic. Was there an entire society of mages secretly in training here, in Demacia? Exactly how much had Sylas prepared for this moment? You have no time to think as the huge man swings at you again. With no hope of blocking the strikes, you jump to the side again, throwing ice at his sword. The weapon is frozen completely solid in the ground and the man tries to pull it out, confused. You can hear the ice crack and waste no time. You run behind him, slash at both his knees and he falls down with a grunt. You then use his clothes and climb up on top of him and with a jump, you slash at his head. The big man falls down and the two women begin to scatter, before Garen and another soldier take hold of them, knocking them out.

"Nicely done, brother," Garen shouted, covered in scorches, blood, and dirt. "Where did you learn that?"

"I fought a giant once!" You shout back and say "This fellow was but an insect in comparison to him."

Both of you laugh and group up to carry on with the battle.

As you fought, more and more mages were pouring out of the streets. There were new mages in every wave that came, but they were met by the same soldiers every time, who were not only dwindling in numbers but also getting severely exhausted. Even Garen as getting tired. You weren't any better, panting heavily, sweat washing all over your body as your shoulders and arms slowly but surely began getting limp from swinging your sword. Suddenly, you saw him. Sylas ran into the plaza, along with a new wave of mages. 

"If he is leading this charge, it must be the last!" Garen shouted at you.

"Let's hope it is!" You shout back.

"We have to get to him. Killing or capturing him will scatter the rest!"

"Let's go then! Whoever gets there last is a troll!" Garen chuckles and rushes into the battle, you following close behind.

The next couple of minutes are a complete mess. You are sure that you took a couple of fireballs in that fight, a dozen hits from water whips, a couple of stone spikes cracked and smashed into your armor and one stuck itself in your tight pretty badly. You had to pull that one out and use the old freeze the blood trick in order to stop yourself from bleeding out. Still, you fought, and slashed, and charged, and blocked and slowly made your way towards Sylas, who was slowly but surely leading his troops to capital building. A ball of magic crashed into one of the towers above you and it came crashing down. Time seemed to slow then, as you took out all of your power and made a huge blizzard in your left hand and a spike in the other. You launched the ball up with a roar, freezing the falling blocks solid in the reddish ice that formed as water nearby ran scarce and your magic drew the nearest liquid. The blocks froze and you launched the spike after it, shattering the entire thing in little rocks and dust. The roar of approval from the soldiers around you was deafening and you managed a smile as the fighting went on. The next ten minutes feel like an hour and suddenly, a massive circle opened up in the middle of the plaza, and you see Garen face to face with Sylas. The entire battle seems to stop just then as the two men were about to clash. Sylas was talking, however, you couldn't hear much besides Garen's shout of 'Demacia!' as the two clashed against one another.

You watch for a while, but what you see isn't good. Sylas is using his chains to outrange Garen's greatsword and constantly hits him from afar. When Garen gets close, Sylas simply blocks his hits either by entangling his sword with his chains and pulling him around or by simply putting the handcuffs that held his hands in the way. Made from petricite, they are nearly indestructible and the sword only slides off them every time Garen strikes. Not only that, but your friend is heavily armored while Sylas is half-naked, allowing for swift movement but also making him light. While Garen is puffing hard from not only the constant movement, he is also tried from the last hour he spent fighting the other mages. Suddenly, you realize that your commander has lost. There is literally no way for him to win this one. You look at him in despair as Sylas knocks him down to his knees with a couple of consecutive hits to his shoulders. As Garen falls down, Sylas uses his chains and pulls his sword away from him. Suddenly, he stops and takes a closer look at the sword he held, before giving out a burst of laughter. You hear him say something along the lines of 'It's also made from that! Hadn't realized it until now!' before you see magic pulsating through his arm. Is he taking it from the sword? How does that make any sense?! He holds onto it for a while, before bombarding Garen with a barrage of spells. He gets flung around as if he's a doll by fire, air, water, earth, and other forms you don't recognize. If he's not dead yet, it's his armor that is keeping him breathing. You grit your teeth and run through the crowd of allies and foes alike, trying to reach the battle. You suddenly see a sword materialize in the hand of Sylas it's the same as the one Garen uses, except it's made of some sort of golden aura. Closer to them, you hear him say:

"I knew your weapons were imbued by divine magic. At least some of them. How does it feel, swine? How does it feel to die by what you hate so much?" With that, he slams the sword into the ground and you see a shining light coming from the sky over Garen. 

"Shit!" You swear and dash through the edge of the crowd, sliding over to Garen. You know what this is, you have heard of it before. Sylas cocks his head to the side, obviously surprised by your actions and by you as a whole, as you pull the leftover water from nearby and erect a shield over you as you stand over Garen. The massive divine sword crashes into you, splintering the ice to pieces, along with all of the armor on your upper body. With a cry of pain, you fall down to your knees and look back at Garen, who is unconscious or dead. A soldier comes forward and pulls him away as you manage to stand up and look Sylas in the face. 

"We meet again, my friend!" he says with a chuckle.

"I am not your friend you bastard." You answer, spitting at his feet.

"Huh, only a friend would lend me his powers in order for me to escape." He looks at your spit, a mix of blood and salvia on the floor, and says "But that wasn't very nice, wouldn't you say."

You chuckle at his remark and he smiles as well. "What wasn't nice was killing half the civilians here."

"Sacrifices must be made for the greater good of men." Sylas answers. "I told each one of them. I gave them a choice. Join me or die. Simple enough, wouldn't you say?"

"Yup. Short and sweet."

Sylas chuckles again and raises his hand to point at you. "I like you, Derrick. You are capable. You are strong and a fierce fighter. So I have one question for you..." He smiles again. "Join me or die? Which one will it be?"

"A tough choice. Joining a stinking sewer rat or getting a long-deserved break. I would rather die, thank you very much." You say, pulling out your sword.

Sylas laughs again. "A stinking rat lives longer than a fat pig. One gets butchered every year while rats live. Because of their wits and their instincts. But as you wish." He opens his hands to the sides, inviting you to come at him. "Let's have some fun!"

Let's go out with a blast, as one of your old friends used to say, before he blew himself up instead of getting captured. With a sad smile, you begin to walk towards what you believe will be your last fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the next chapter will be mainly a face-off between Derrick and Sylas. It will be a very tough fight, and I still am unsure whether Derrick will be the one who wins it. Some of you may be wondering where is Lux, but she is close, trust me. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this rather action-packed chapter. Derrick's merc side is shown here, as he is able to judge, strategize against and dispatch swiftly any foe. Garen isn't doing too great, I am still not sure how bad his injuries are myself. We'll see in the next couple of chapters. As always, if you have anything to share, I will be glad to read it and reply as soon as I can. Stay safe and see you in a couple of days! (Also my spell-checking software broke down in the middle of this, so excuse any writing errors here and there, lol)


	19. A Loosing Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You fight Sylas face-to-face. How will you even defeat this man? You aren't sure, but you sure as hell won't go down without a bang!

The entire battle seems to fade out as you and Sylas begin to circle one another, slowly, each waiting for the other to move. Your opponent has an arrogant smile on his face as he walks around. Unsure if it is just to scare you or because of his confidence in his victory, you frantically try to come up with some strategy against this man. Garen took a few hits and even in his armor, he was dispatched of quite swiftly. And you didn't even have any armor, to begin with, as most of it was destroyed when you took that hit for Garen, leaving you only with your pants, boots, and belt intact. Taking even a single direct hit would probably kill you, as those chains seem pretty heavy by the looks of it. Licking your lips, you try to think up some strategy. Garen was heavy and far from agile, so he had no choice but to tank most of the blows. From what you saw, Sylas could whip them around easily, however slowly, as recovering from a missed hit took him some time, kind of like missing with a massive sword. The momentum and the effort to bring it back to its original position took around three to five seconds, from what you saw, yet as Garenw as unable to dodge those hits effectively, he didn't have enough time to punish such misses, if they happened. Maybe you could use that. Sylas also used his chains to hold your friend in place and even tried to pull his sword out from his hands once. Again, you were a smaller target, compared to the already big Garen made bigger in his plate. Such tricks probably wouldn't work on you well. Getting close wouldn't be too hard, along with avoiding his hits if you were smart, however, what worried you the most was his ability to steal your power. The red mark he had left on your hand was slowly fading, yet you wouldn't want him stealing all you have again. If you got close, you would have to somehow ensure your safety from his grasp.

Still thinking, you hear how Sylas begins to taunt you.

"Look for a way to beat me all you want, Derrick, but you are simply outclassed. You can still surrender. I will find some part of my heart that can forgive you for the insult of refusing my offer the first time."

You pay him no mind and with something close enough to a tactic, you begin to slowly walk towards him. He tilts his head to the side, amused, and begins walking towards you as well.

The next couple of seconds happen quite fast. Sylas suddenly dashes towards you, both hands over his head and smashes his chains into the spot where you were standing moments ago. Luckily, the attack wasn't fast so you had time to react and threw yourself out of the way, although the dodge was too long too and you had no time to close the distance and attack. Sylas wastes no time and spins around, his chains whipping at you. You manage to step back from the first chain and roll beneath the second one, getting close to Sylas. However, you don't plan to attack. As you expected, the man was already reaching out for your shoulder, trying to grab you. Having predicted that, however, you slide to the side and kick his legs out from under him with a sweep, which throws his balance off long enough for you to dash in and slice at his back. Being used to your longer sword, however, you only manage to leave a shallow cut across his shoulders, which doesn't seem to bother him too much as he spins around once again and you throw yourself on your back to the ground, the chain passing some inches away from your nose. He follows with his left hand, doing another overhead smash into the ground, which you dodge by sheer luck, rolling to the side. Sylas doesn't give you room for rest and spins around once again, using the momentum of his body to aid his chains and the task that was lifting them properly. This time, however, you step forward, trying to get as close to his hands, before putting your sword to face the chain with its flat side. The momentum and the power were at their weakest the closest to his arms, and your sword does a great job of keeping you from taking a heavy hit. You kick him in the gut with your knee, then punch him right in the face with your fist. He staggers back, blood spilling from his nose, swearing, and you take the window of opportunity to strike again. Thrusting your sword into him, tip forward, you suddenly get a taste of victory in your mouth, which is quickly washed away when a ball of magic swats your sword aside and you fall to the ground along with it.

"Not fair you bastards!" You shout at nobody in particular, looking at the crowd around the two of you.

"We are equal, Derrick." The now recovered Sylas says. "We help each other when in need. Truly, there is no honor in helping in a duel, however, I don't have much of it anyway."

"Fair enough." You say with a grunt as you raise. So his friends were going to help him whenever possible. Yup, you were completely screwed now.

Hope dies last, they say, but you feel like yours is already lowered into the grave. Asking for help could be good, but not only would your honor take a huge hit, but you also don't know anyone who could be of use. With a sigh, you rush towards Sylas once again, this time set on trying a different tactic, a blizzard forming in your left hand. As your un towards him, Sylas suddenly throws both of his chains at you, which you didn't expect at all. They take hold of your waist and he uses that to pull himself into you. While he is still in the air, you try to protect your skin from being touched and raise your sword straight at his belly, even stepping towards him. He notices and kicks your sword aside, however, that stops his momentum and he falls back down, his chains disentangling from you. Without wasting much time, you slam your fist into the metal of his chains, freezing them both into the ground. He swears again and your un up to him, faking a stab. You see a fireball flying towards you once again, however, you step aside and turn the feint into a slash at his neck. Victory at last!... or no. Suddenly, his neck forms a collar made out of ice and you see the blue essence pulsating from his chains into his arms. He can steal magic from his chains too?! You edge your sword free as he throws his chains at you once more. This time you aren't too lucky and one of them hits you right in the chest. With a yelp, you tumble back onto the floor, a sharp pain pulsating from your side where the chain had hit you. You have no time to waste, however, as one of his chains smashes into the ground next to you, sending stones flying into your face. You instinctively roll away and the other one smashes right next to you as well. Clumsily, you get up, your side burning,

"You almost got me, I'll give you that," Sylas says, cracking his neck.

"Thanks. You did get me, however, and it isn't pleasant." You answer back. The man chuckles.

"Maybe a broken rib, from the sound I heard. Too bad you didn't have any armor on." He begins walking towards you.

"I have been through worse. A broken rib is tolerable for a while." You manage as you ready up your sword.

"Oh, I'm sure a man like you can deal with it. What you can't deal with is this." He says as he shoots a dozen icicles at your location. Swearing, you throw yourself to the side, pain washing over your right side, as the place where you were a moment ago explodes into a mix of stone and ice. Rolling away, you look at your chest and notice the red mark his chains had left when it touched you. Shit. 

"Didn't know about that trick, Sylas."

"Nobody does. They usually don't get to tell anyone too, but you are surprisingly resilient."

The only real way you could think of beating him was somehow disabling his chains without letting him steal your magic and closing in. How would you do that was a mystery. As you look at the hole his last attack made, you see it has filled with ice. Is it just you, or is it melting? It seems oddly shiny. The day was hot, but your own magic never melts without you making it go away exclusively. So Sylas couldn't replicate your abilities one to one. A sudden idea begins to form in your head. It could work if you fought correctly. You raise your sword and feint a lunge towards Sylas. He begins to block, but instead of slashing at him, you kick at his arms, trying to knock him down. He begins swinging his chains around wildly and you do your best to dodge it all. The two of you continue 'dancing' like that for a while, before you lead him back to the hole he had made before. You begin preparing a spell into your hands, throwing all of your energy into it. You then fake falling down on top of the hole, your hands trembling in white, blue, and grey. As you hoped, Sylas leaps into the air, trying to smash you with both of his chains. You roll away again, and his chains splash themselves in the ice, which has now turned into water. Before he can raise his arms, however, you unleash all of your magic capabilities. A sudden blizzard forms around the two of you. While it doesn't affect you much, you still feel cold, so Sylas must be having a good time. You look over to him, through all of the snow that is falling, and see that the water has frozen up completely, without directly being influenced by your spells. Sylas begins to pull his chains out and the ice starts to crack. Stone spikes, water whips, and fireballs fly through the storm, probably thrown by some mages trying to blindly help their leader. You quickly close the gap, swinging at the man's neck. Suddenly, you get pushed back by a huge wave of heat. You roll and tumble back as the temperature makes smoke rise from your pants. Your entire blizzard is gone and you see Sylas getting up.

"Nice-" he is panting heavily. "Nice try, Derrick."

"For the love of God, what else can you do?" You shout out in anger ad you try to get up.

"Nothing I couldn't do before. You simply showed me another aspect of it." He points towards the hole. "The floor of this courtyard is made from petricite. The older part of it was soaked in magic from the executions that used to happen here. It was, however, locked beneath the new, top layer. With you freezing my chains down there, I was easily able to access it when I concentrated."

Sweat is running from all over you and your sight is blurry. All of that magic you used in your blizzard spell really cost you, huh? "And I thought I was creative."

"You are. It is bad luck that got you. Had we fought anywhere else, my head would be rolling around the floor, most likely." He begins walking towards you. "It's a shame you don't want to aid me, Derrick. You are so very capable."

"So are you, it seems." You manage to say through gritted teeth, your left ribs burning.

"Why thank you. However, I'm afraid I have to put an end to your rather marvelous life now. I won. Sorry." With that, he takes hold of your soldier and you feel your power completely leaving you again, however, maybe because you were already tired, or because he had lost a bunch of his own mana, this time it hurts really bad. You let out a yelp as he draws his hand away.

"This should do for a while." He examines your shoulder. "That will leave a scar... Not that it matters, now, does it?" He creates an icicle in his hands and aims it at your throat. "Dead men don't care about their bodies, right?"

Suddenly, you hear a woman's shout coming from somewhere. You can't make up her words, but you hear Sylas pretty good.

"Hello, Lux! Came to join us at last, I presume?" He says, with what you assume to be a smile. You can't tell through your blurred vision. The woman... wait, Lux is here? Weird. Lux shouts something again and you hear the man laugh.

"I beat him fair and square-" he pauses for a bit. "Alright, I didn't, but I beat him. He knew what would happen if he lost. I believe it is only right that I fulfill the rules of our duel."

Lux shouts something out again, but this time louder. Is she coming closer? Sylas doesn't answer for a bit. You now manage to make out the woman's words too.

"Please, Sylas. Don't do it. For my sake!" You hear her cry out.

"You never did join the rebellion. Why should I spare him?"

"I brought you things." She says after a brief pause.

"That you did. Now that I think about it, you did bring me the plans for Galio... Huh, yeah, that was pretty important. After all, I learned the true power of my 'chains' from them." You feel the spike touching your throat being drawn back. "Fine. But I won't stop next time, so make sure Derrick doesn't come at me again." He turns around. "Brothers! Looks like this man gets to live even though I bested him. And they say I am not just or kind!" He looks around. "Oh. Where did my brothers go?"

You manage to look around too and see only Demacian soldiers around you. Some mages can be seen running through the streets on the side. Were they fleeing?

"That's unfortunate. We will have to regroup. For now, you two get some breathing room." He gave a little bow and turned around. "Apparently our little fight took up too much of my people's attention. Your soldiers were smarter in that regard, it would seem. Anyway, it would be unkind to leave before dinner, so expect me at the night party." With that, he smashes his way through the rather thin line of soldiers with his chains and runs down some street. You feel some warm fingers touch your face and fall unconscious.

"Is he waking up?"

"Seems like it. Don't go near him, however. As a mage, he is unpredictable- No, Miss Crownguard, wait!"

You feel something warm brush against your face. The blur that is your sight slowly begins to clear as you begin to wake up and your eyes adjust properly. It's dark in the room, a couple of lanterns providing the only light besides the huge windows on the side. The man who was talking was dressed in white, so you assume he is a doctor. You look to his side, to the person whose hands are touching your face and see a white face, watery blue eyes, and blonde hair. You weren't expecting that.

"...Lux?" You say quietly.

"Don't speak, please. You took quite a beating." The doctor says. You nod. 

"Leave us," Lux says. The doctor stays for a while before he gives a curt nod and walks out.

"Lux, what is happening? Where is Garen? Is Sylas captured-" You begin to say before she suddenly hugs you tightly, sobbing. You widen our eyes in surprise (and in pain as your broken rib is dying.) but return the hug. You feel her tears dripping down onto your shoulder as the two of you stay like this for a while. Unsure of what to say, you pat her back "Don't worry. I'm fine. I have been through worse. I'm here now."

"He- He almost k-killed you..." The woman says, through her sobs.

"But he didn't, right?" You answer, trying to calm her down.

"It's all my fault..." She says quietly, pushing away from you for a second.

"You couldn't have helped me-"

"It's not that... I-" She looks at you, afraid. "Please promise me you won't hate me if I tell you this."

"I would never hate you, Lux." You say, putting your arm on her shoulder.

"Promise?"

"Promise." You say, giving her another hug.

Entangled like that, she says. "I used to visit Sylas before you came. I went to his cell because he told me he could teach me how to control my affliction. I just wanted to be normal... He showed me some tricks, in order for me to control my magic and I trusted him enough to bring him entertainment. Books mainly. However, once I brought him a scroll. A copy of the scheme that was used to build the colossus Galio. I believe he figured out how to steal magical abilities through it. I studied it carefully after and I read that petricite, or the material Galio and his shackles are made out of, doesn't banish magic. Instead, it stores it, in order for it to be used later. That's the way Galio functions. Sylas figured it out and that's how he stole your magic."

"...Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because the entire reason you are hurt is because of me-"

"The entire reason I was hurt was because I was careless. I used my magic while fighting that assassin. It led to me being captured. I was then foolish enough to touch a random man in the depths of the Demacian prison. I then challenged that man even though Garen failed to beat him. I was dumb. And you weren't at fault for trying to hide your magic. Anyone would have done the same in your place. He exploited your weakness and that isn't something to be ashamed of. All of us have been deceived. I don't blame you at all."

"I- I- You are way too kind to me, Derrick."

"You have gone through a ton. You deserve to be treated kindly. At least that."

She tears up again and suddenly comes closer, pulling you in for a kiss. Suddenly, all of your wounds stop hurting and you fall in a moment of bliss, as the two of you finally get some time after the over two weeks in which you were separated. Her mouth is warm, along with her entire body, but you are pretty used to that by now. You spend a couple of seconds like that before she pulls away and you wipe the tears off her face with a smile.

"Was I kind enough to deserve that?"

She smiles shyly, blushing. You chuckle and she punches your shoulder. "Don't laugh! I am embarrassed, that's all."

"I can see. It's pretty cute."

"Stop it!" She says, flicking your nose. You chuckle again and she smiles.

"How is Garen?"

"Better than you, I think. He wants to go out and fight again, but the doctors aren't letting him. His armor took quite the beating, but he is mostly fine. I think one of his ribs was cracked, but nothing major other than that."

"That's good. I thought he was dead when I shielded him from Sylas."

"Thank you for that too... You put your life at risk for other people too much, Derrick."

"It's a habit."

"A bad one."

Suddenly, Tiana enters the room, a couple of soldiers behind her. One of them is carrying a bag. She looks straight at you and says. "I see you have recovered. The potion we gave you and Garen should have taken effect by now. Get up. We need everyone we can to protect the building against that monster... including people of his kind." With that, the soldiers opens the bag and you see your old equipment inside. You give her a confused smile and get up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Sylas messed Derrick up, even though most of it was trickery or luck. Anyway, Lux came back from... whatever she was doing, just in time to save the day. I hope you guys liked this little reunion. I think it was pretty wholesome. Anyway, the next chapter is also going to be pretty action-packed. I don't want to spoil anything, but Lux might surprise us with something (unless I change my mind, that is lol). As always, stay safe people and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See ya soon!


	20. The Beginning to the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After making up a way to beat Sylas, you and your Demacian allies prepare for the final stand-off. Will the trap actually work on this mischievous man?

As you don your armor on, you stretch your arms, getting a good feel for it. It's the one Garen gave you after Katarina tried to assassinate Lux. It feels good, with a nice weight to it that doesn't hinder you at all, as it only consists of a chest-guard, shoulder-guards, armguards, and gloves. The armory is pretty big, but you suppose it is only right for such a huge building. The Demacian barracks are pretty busy, as soldiers, both injured and healthy, shuffle about, fetching their armor, equipment, and stretching. The entire atmosphere is pretty tense, so you decide to go out and check in on Lux, as you are pretty much set for the upcoming battle. As you open the small door that leads to the small, rounding staircase that goes to the upper floors of the capital building, you begin to worry a bit. How the hell were you to beat Sylas? Your previous encounter didn't go that well. You have no idea when he will touch something that has a flick of energy inside of it and use it against you. It is really unpredictable, the way he lucked out when you finally managed to lock him in place was insane and still bugs you. To defeat him, you'd have to go out of your way to use normal weaponry, fight in a set place where no magic was available, although such a place probably doesn't exist and also wear basic clothing, or armor that consists of simple metals. The problem is, that his chains can easily break most weapons that are simple steel, and normal armor is pretty bad against a direct blow. 

With such thoughts, you enter the round room where the generals were strategizing over the upcoming battle. Jarvan asked you to join up with them when you were ready, as you were the one who had the most direct experience with magic. Also, the looks you have been getting from other people due to that have been really weird. Not that you really mind, however, it is weird to see how people can change their attitude so fast. Nobody really dares to call you bad names or to trouble you, but the look in their eyes says it all. Being a half-mage in the middle of 'true Demacians' is really rough. Anyways, back to the room. You find yourself in the middle of a heated argument between Garen and some other general, while Lux, Tiana, Fiora, Jarvan, his father - the king and the leader of the mage-seekers. A detailed map of the city is stretched in front of them, with a couple of figures placed in different places. When you enter, Garen and the general calm down, and the Crownguard nods to you, along with Lux and Fiora. 

"Derrick, at last," Jarvan says as he motions towards the two men to sit down. "We need you here."

"I'll try to help as much as I can."

"We expect no less. An informant in Sylas's little rebellion has told us he plans to attack from the front again. Secrecy and tactic obviously isn't his thing."

"I... I guess so. He didn't seem to think too much while we fought."

"I still haven't managed to thank you for saving my life there, Derrick. If not for you-" Garen begins to say, but his aunt cuts him off.

"You will do that later. Now, come over here and aid us."

You nod and come closer to the table. Taking a look at it, you notice that a couple of 'archers' have been placed on some of the buildings near the main square. You furrow your brow at the sight of them.

"Uhm... what is the point of those archers?"

"What doy ou mean?" Garen asks. "If they are to be in the main square, having archers to rain arrows on them will be great."

"It will, however, not only will they be vulnerable to all spells, but they will also run short of supplies as they won't have any place to store much ammunition."

"What do you suggest then?" Tiana asks.

"Having the high ground when using a bow is pretty good, however, against mages it won't be good. If you think about it, the only ones who will really be fighting will be the people on the front line. The mages on the back will either be boosting their allies or looking to cover them. That means, that the moment they notice our archers, they will make a shield to cover them and the others will try to blow them up. Not only will we put them in tons of danger, but they won't do anything." You pick up one of the archer figures, placing it on the stairs behind the troops that were to defend the front-line. "From what I saw, our troops won't be advancing, but rather standing their ground, tiring the enemy out. That means that the archers won't have to worry about hitting one of their own, the moment they manage to line up their first shot. They will be able to loose arrow after arrow into the fray, without having to aim so much."

"That makes sense, Derrick. But what about their shields? Have you got anything to share with us? Any weakness?"

You think for a while, before speaking up. "I don't know much about them, however, most shields aren't made from solid objects like ice or stone. It takes a lot of energy to make them and a lot more to move them or hold them up. That means that most of them will be made of pure magic energy. And I believe you have a certain substance that can mess magic up..."

"Petricite..." Fiora says. "But how will we apply it? We can't get them to drink it."

"They won't be drinking it. Think of it like extinguishing a fire, except we will be extinguishing their shields." You place another archer figure behind the other one. "Have a row of archers that have modified arrows. Maybe some sort of a balloon, fixed on the tip of their arrows. Shields are solid, so the moment those arrows reach them, they will splatter and destroy the shield, as a sudden massive hole in the spell takes a lot of skill and energy to fix up swiftly, and the mages we have fought don't have that."

"Do we have something that could serve as those 'containers', father?" Jarvan asks the king.

"Hmm..." he stays silent for a bit. "I believe that we have a good amount of glass containers from a recent search of a supposed 'alchemist's' house. They are even triangular." He turns towards Garen. "Commander. Will they hinder the flight of the arrows because of their weight?"

"Maybe a little," Garen answers, rubbing his chin. "Although I suppose it won't be too bad. Our archers can manage. Plus, from what I have heard, accuracy isn't what we are going for, but rather just getting a hit."

"Correct. The main problem is if you have enough of the thing to fill all of it up."

"We have a lot. It should be enough to serve our purpose if our archers dispatch them well. I will see to that personally.." Tiana steps in. The king nods to her and then turns to you. "Good thinking, soldier. Anything more you can share about mages?"

You spend the next fifteen to twenty minutes describing the weakness of every type of magic in-depth to the little council. The troop leaders in the room promise that they will relay the information to their men. 

"Now. The real problem." Garen steps in. "What about Sylas?"

The room falls silent for a while. Jarvan looks at everyone else. Tiana coughs and Lux begins to fidget with her hands nervously. After a while, the king speaks up. 

"Well? Has anybody got any ideas?"

"Well... he is really unpredictable." You say. "No matter what you do, he can always turn it against you. The way he beat me when we fought. I thought I had him there!"

"It was a good fight. You did what you could." Jarvan points out. "However, do you have any idea how we can gain an upper hand on him?"

"Well, the biggest problem will be the location at which the battle will happen. As long as he is near his allies or the main square, he will always have access to some spells. So..."

"We have to lead him to a more favorable location." The prince finishes for you. "Easier said than done. Does anyone know of such a location?"

"The main hall?" Tiana suggests.

"That wouldn't be wise." The king points out. "According to stories, great magical beings have once been in that hall. We shouldn't risk giving him access to such divine powers."

"Where then? It can't be too far or too weird as he will suspect it." Garen says.

The room falls silent for a while before Lux suddenly steps in. "Maybe... How about the sewers?"

You all turn to look at her. "The sewers?" Jarvan asks. "Why there, out of all places?"

"Well... Nobody has access to them or uses them frequently. If there is any magic there, it would be from some mages running from soldiers, most likely. It will be little and weak. Not only that but in the small confinements of the sewers, Sylas's chains will be a hindrance rather than an advantage. He won't have space to move and a sword would be much better than those big, cumbersome things." The little group exchange looks before you speak up. 

"That could work. I never thought about this, but Sylas really does have an advantage in open spaces. Great thinking, My Lady!" You say, nodding with approval towards her. She gives a small smile and says "I learn from the best."

Garen is the second to approve of this idea. "My sister is right. Tactic is the only way we can beat that monster. Fighting him in a place that will be uncomfortable for all will be best. He won't get to use his main strength. Sure, it will be a messy fight, but it is better than nothing."

The rest of them swiftly begin to support the idea too and you pat Lux on the back. "Great job, Lux." You whisper to her when the rest are arguing over whether the sewers are the most optimal place to face Sylas.

She smiles and says "You always told me to exploit my opponents' weakness and to think before I make a move."

You smile yourself and open your mouth to tell her something before the king raises his hand. The room falls silent.

"It is decided. The battle with that rebel will take place in our sewers. However, how will we get him there? And who will fight him? What equipment will he or she wield?"

"My Lord," Fiora says, stepping forward. "Allow me to take him on. I want to be the one who defeats that scum."

"I don't think that would be wise, Lady Laurent." You step in too. "I'm sorry from stripping you from that opportunity, however, during my training with you, I noticed and learned your fighting style. You dodge, instead of blocking, and when Sylas attacks, you will have to block, even if the attack is hindered and flimsy. And those chains will hit hard and heavy. Dodging won't be an option too, as you will most likely be knee-deep in... sewer-water, let's say."

Jarvan nods. "I'm sorry, Fiora. Derrick has a point here. You are also a unexchangable asset to Demacia. Potentially losing you due to bad fighting circumstances is a risk I am not willing to take."

The woman nods and steps back. The king looks around. "I would suggest Commander Garen, however, he won't do well in his heavy armor. Plus, we have seen how easily Sylas was able to steal the divine blessing in his sword and the magic in his armor."

Jarvan steps forward. "Father. Allow me to go. I can outrange him with Drakebane-"

"No, you will not." His father cuts him off. "Drakeblade is not only heavy, but also easily outclassed by things like whips, ropes, or chains. A spear is easy to pull away and counter. Not only that, but the spear is imbued with a lot of power, and we aren't sure what Sylas is capable of. I will not lose my son in the filth of the sewers against some rebel." Jarvan opens his mouth but the king says. "It's an order." His son steps back, angry. Suddenly, everyone in the room turns to you. You look around, startled.

"I don't like where this is going..."

"You are the perfect man for the job, Derrick," Garen says. "Enduring, strong, unencumbered by big armor, have a good enough weapon to take a few hits and also have the most experience with magic."

"He defeated me last time, without too much trouble." You point out.

"Because of luck and a bunch of advantages. I know you can do it!" Fiora says with an encouraging smile.

With a sigh, you say "Fine! I will fight him once again. However..." You look at Lux and say "...nevermind, I'll do it. But how will we get him down in the sewers?"

The King points at the map. You see the outline of a tunnel under the main square where you fought with Sylas for the first time. "We can set up a trap, maybe. Knock the floor down, knock him into the tunnel."

Garen steps in. "That won't do. You saw what happened when he touched one of the older layers of stone there. If they fall into the sewers, the debris would be all over the place and quite easy to access."

"The water in the sewers is constantly flowing, however. Maybe we could use that, somehow..." Lux suggests.

"What have you got in mind, My Lady?" Jarvan asks.

"Well, we would need to undermine the plate over the tunnel anyways, in order to make it thin enough to break. We will scrub the bottom layers of the floor anyway, so the danger of a piece of them falling conveniently for Sylas to use is small. Not only that but the flowing water will also wash away any little pieces of the stone that could have been left on the outer layer."

You all look at each other and you grin, happy. "Another great idea, Lu- My Lady!" The other people in the room nod, approvingly. "Maybe we can actually do this..."

The king waves his hand at the leader of the mage-seekers. "Get the masons and send them to work immediately. We don't have much time." The man nods and rushes out. The rest turn to you.

"Now, Derrick." Jarvan says "What will you wear?"

"What I currently am."

"But wouldn't Sylas be able to steal spells from your armor?"

"I don't think so. I haven't worn this one in a fight yet. It shouldn't be filled with magic."

Tiana nods. "He has a point. It covers his entire body with leather and some parts, the ones which he will use to take some hits, in steel. Sylas won't be able to steal anything."

The king nods. "It is settled then. Everyone, spend the next hours preparing. Especially you, soldier. We count on you." He says at you and exits the room. The others leave too, and lastly, you and Lux. Being away from the others, she entangles her arm into yours and looks at you, worried. 

"You won't die, right?"

"I'll try not to." You tell her, trying to sound confident.

"Please don't... I can't imagine going back to the way life used to be without you, Derrick." The two of you take a sit on a nearby bench, at the edge of the balcony that overlooks the city. The sky begins to darken, the clouds turning red, orange and pink, a couple of stars visible in the distance. She closes her eyes and rests her head on your shoulder as you put your arm over her shoulder.

"Don't worry. I will get him this time."

"I hope you do..." She opens her blue eyes again and looks back at you. "Listen, Derrick... I am not sure what will happen after the fight. Even if you win, excusing you for being a mage would go against every principle Demacia has. Everyone will want to be pardoned for having something magical in them. No matter what you do... I fear they will send you away. Everyone knows what you can do now, the way you fought with Sylas. I-" her voice trembles. "I don't want you to go..."

"I don't want to go either..." you say quietly. The two of you stay like that for a while, as the sky darkens more. A bunch of stars become visible and you begin to worry about the fight. You look at Lux.

"Hey, Lux?" 

"Yeah?"

"If..." you look for words for a bit. "Anything can happen, so just in case I don't come back from that... I want you to know that the time I spent with you has been the best. I don't know whether I have said this before, however..." You turn to face her. "Know that I love you. I really do. I am truly sorry that we met under such circumstances."

She gives you one of the saddest smiles you have seen, a tear falling across her left cheek before she whispers. "I know... I love you too. You are the first man to whom I have felt something like this. The past months have been a dream..."

With that, the two of you share a long kiss, savoring the moment for as long as possible. You hear the bells begin to ring in the distance and see the shadows of people shuffle in the streets in the far. It has begun. You use all of your willpower to stand up. Lux gets up alongside you. You give her a deep hug as she sobs for a bit. Your eyes are getting a bit watery too, as you don't want to lose such a thing again, but you have to be strong. As you pull back from her, she looks at you for a final time and says. "Please come back."

"I will. I swear it on my sword. Watch me from here. I will feel safer that way." She nods and with that, you stride away from her and into the round staircase, back into the barracks. 

They are queerly silent now, the clank of armor or sword the only thing audible. After a brief speech to boost the morale of the troops from Garen, you all spill out onto the square and take positions. The two rows of archers, ones with normal arrows and others with their petricite. The soldiers gather in front and just as they set up properly, the mages come pouring out from the streets. Sylas is yet to be seen, however, you stand your ground in the middle of the front-line, where the floor was supposedly thinned out. The archers fired a single wave of normal arrows, and you saw that the shields formed almost instantly, only a couple of mages going down. However, as soon as Tiana sees the small shimmer in the air, she raises her other hand and the archers with the petricite on their bows launch another volley, which is followed by a couple of volleys from the normal rangers. It worked almost flawlessly, as the shields broke down completely before the rain of arrows fell on their backline. The King ordered the arrows to be small and dipped in sleeping agent, as to minimize casualties and ordered people to kill as a last resort. Still, a bunch of unlucky people were sure to be hit.

After what felt like an hour of fighting, Sylas finally showed up. The number of people you have defeated is along the lines of forty if your counting was correct. Still, the sight of your main target gave you a rush of adrenaline, as he rushed through the streets, looking to crash into the frontline. You then raise your fist and the troops around you make some space, before shouting in his direction.

"HEY, SYLAS! YOU CHAINED UP ASSHOLE! I WANT A REMATCH!"

Your voice can be heard over the clatter of battle, as you can talk and shout quite loud, a necessary skill for a mercenary. HE turns around and faces you, as his and your own men make a circle around you, giving you place to fight. He smirks at you and says.

"I didn't expect to see you up on your feet so soon, Derrick."

"Trust me, I would want nothing more than to be in bed right now, instead of dealing with you."

He chuckles and says. "Well, let's finish this up quick then! I would hate to strip you of your sleep." As he readies up his arms, he adds. "I think I will do you the favor of an endless sleep too! How kind of me, right?"

"I was thinking of doing that, but yeah, it is a kind offer."

With those words, Sylas almost instantly dashes towards you. The plan is to trick him into smashing the ground. If the masons could be trusted, a single blow of that caliber would be enough. He is pretty aggressive, so it shouldn't be too hard to bait him into that. You spend the next couple of minutes mainly dodging. You can't afford to get yourself injured or too exhausted before the real fighting has begun. "What happened Derrick?" Sylas shouts "Lost your taste for battle?"

You suddenly 'trip' and fall on your back. Sylas immediately takes this opportunity, leaping into the air, his chains ready to smash you into the ground. However, you roll to the side in the last moment and you feel the ground shake. Sylas looks around, confused, then back at you. You grin as the floor breaks open bellow you and the two of you fall down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger gang go! Sorry for the late upload, or the fact that this chapter might have seemed a bit sloppy. I have been very busy, recently, so sorry for not being too active. Anyway, a bit more development between Lux and Derrick, even though it may have been a bit sad. The fight with Sylas should turn out well enough, if it comes out the way I want it to. I am looking forward with finishing up this part of the story, as I have big plans for the next one. Hope you enjoyed this one! Stay safe, my friends, and I will see you soon!


	21. An Unfortunate Turn of Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, you face off with Sylas and later get some rather unfortunate info on what will follow in the future.

As the two of you fall through the hole, the stench enters through your nostrils, hitting you like a punch in the face. Crashing into the water below, you fall on your butt and the splash sends a mix of who knows what all over you. You quickly scuttle to your feet, trying not to drop your sword in the river running below you. You shake your head, trying to get the water out of your eyes. Looking around, you see Sylas struggling in the water, trying to stand up. His chains must be quite cumbersome in such a place. He seems to be trying to swear, as you see him opening his mouth but then spitting around as some water splashes in his face. Taking note not to open your mouth, you begin to make your way towards him, sword in hand. Unfortunately, traversing up against the running water, that is over your knees, is quite hard. You wobble around, looking like a moron, however, you slowly make your way over to the rebel. Sylas seems to be in a bit of a struggle, but when he sees you, he tries to back up. The water running against him makes him lose his balance and he almost falls, tumbling with a 'Shit!'. You would have stabbed him then and there if the water wasn't obstructing you so much. You only manage to give him a small cut on the chest. He winces and gets up quickly, jerking back.

"I'm really in the shit now, aren't I?" He says, trying to lift his hands, to get his chains out of the water. You notice that his left arm stops suddenly. Are his chains obstructed by something? He must have noticed it too, as he stops pulling almost immediately as if trying to hide the fact from you. You saw it, however, but decide to keep that fact to yourself. He seems to be able to pull on his right arm well enough, so it's not good to keep your guard down. Still thinking, Sylas suddenly flings his right hand at you, the chain following. The attack is so slow though! You almost don't believe it. The chain scrapes against the wall of the tunnel, losing momentum, hindered by the sewer water as well and a sloppy metal link flies past you. You bet that even if it had hit you, it wouldn't have done much damage. Sylas seems to notice this too, as you notice a deep frown on his face when you look back at him. His left arm still hasn't moved. So he is stuck after all!

You begin to waddle towards him. He tries to pull his chain back so he can swing again, however it seems to be taking a lot of force as his right arm is straining hard and you see the muscles on his neck tightening as he desperately drags the heavy metal through the stream. You are almost in range. He looks up at you and says.

"Derrick. Think about what you are doing. I spared you didn't I?"

"Thanks for that. A mistake though." You answer.

"Shit, you are just like me... Do you want for Demacia to keep living under such rules? Isn't it unfair?"

"What Demacia does is none of my business."

"it's your home."

"It was my home. I will be kicked out after this, for sure. They said it themselves. No exceptions."

"Then why do you fight me? We could lift these rules from this land. You could stay here, stay with Lux!"

"I fight you because there is a difference between wanting to better the world and killing innocent people because of your cause."

"They are guilty of being swine. They don't understand us. They will never understand us. How do you hope to change this place peacefully? They imprison everyone who stands up to mages."

"You can't. Nobody can, besides the Crown."

He laughs. "The pig would never help the butcher."

"I heard that the King was arguing with his son about the situation with mages once - while waiting for tonight. He wanted to change how you were treated." You lift your sword. "You messed that up, however."

"A lie! Such a thing is so far fetched I am surprised you would even try to get me to believe it."

"Believe what you will. Your journey ends here." You say, bringing your sword down.

Sylas shouts, bringing his left arm up, as much as his chain allows. You don't manage to divert your blow, however, so your sword passes right through his wrist. He lets out a wail, falling back as his hand falls into the running river. He looks at you, his eyes full of hatred, and his left part of the body smeared with a mix of sewer water and blood.

"...You... little shit!" He screams and lunges towards you. You try to step back but the trip as the running water pushes you off your feet. The two of you fall and wrestle a bit in the river, trying to come up on top of one another. You find yourself under Sylas. He grabs your shoulder with his right arm and says through gritted teeth. 

"You... took my arm... My turn now!" He shouts and you see his arm light up in blue. a Burning pain launches through your body and you try to let out a scream, however, he pushes you into the water and you get a mouthful of... stuff. You push back out and begin spitting and coughing, however, he keeps on hanging onto you. It feels as if someone was pressing a red hot iron onto your skin. After what feels like an eternity, he lets go of you.

"...Why won't you die?!" He says as he stumbles back. You try to get up but fall, not feeling your legs. Everything is blurry and you feel really bad. You begin to vomit to the side and Sylas begins to walk away.

"I will remember this, Derrick. Be glad you are being kicked out of Demacia. Next time we meet, you shall pay for this hand with your head." With that, he begins to stumble off. You try to get up and go after him, however, the moment you try to, your head begins spinning and you puke again. What the hell is happening? The last time he drained you, it only exhausted you. Nothing like this. You crawl your way to the hole Sylas burst open and try to shout for help but only manage a cough. You manage to get up, holding the wall. Head spinning, you stand there for a while, trying not to puke again.

You stand there for a while and realize that the sound of fighting wasn't audible. Had it ended?

"Hello? Can anyone give me a hand?" You say, but it comes out quite quietly and you stumble against the wall. What the fuck did that man do to you? You see a head pop up inside the hole and someone says.

"A hand I can't give you, but a rope..." He goes away and after about five minutes and then a couple of heads pop out again and a rope goes down to you. You try to grab onto it but fail and fall back down.

"Derrick? Is everything good? Where is Sylas?" You hear a voice from above.

"He..." You don't get to finish your sentence as the sudden movement you just made makes you vomit again. 

"Tie that rope around you. We will pull you up."

Somehow, you manage to tie the rope around your waist, getting it around your legs as well to ensure you don't fall. You tie it a couple of times and give a thumbs up to the guards above. They begin to lift you back up. As they pull you out, a couple of people gather and you see how they immediately back away, one of them holding his nose with his fingers. You would have laughed if you weren't worried about puking again. A couple of them finally pick you up and you hear a 'Get him to the doctors. He doesn't look good.' With that, you pass out.

You suddenly wake up, sweaty, in the middle of the hospital wing of the palace. You look around and see most of it is empty, besides some beds at the end, where a couple of soldiers were laying, sleeping. You see a couple of herbs mixed next to you, with a note that read 'Put in water, then drink.' You pour the green paste into the stone cup next to you and drink it. The bitter taste of it fills you and you let out an audible 'Yuck!' which startles the figure which was standing in the shadow of the nearby column. You didn't see her before, however, Tiana Crownguard steps out and comes beside you.

"Derrick. You're awake."

"That I am. What happened?" She takes a seat next to you, before answering.

"Well, Sylas escaped. You have tot ell me what exactly happened in those tunnels. Other than that, thanks to your tactic, our archers managed to kill almost half of their forces. As most of them were enchanters who were keeping the frontline safe, our warriors made quick work of the rest. We have a ton of captives and a bunch of dead, however, we will manage."

"Good. Glad it worked. About the tunnels, we had a real short fight. He was defenseless, but when I swung to take his head off, he managed to put his hand in front of it. My blade cut through his wrist, severing his left hand, but it wasn't heavy nor strong enough to pass with enough force and take his head too. He then jumped on me, fueled with rage and we wrestled in the sewer-water. After a while, he managed to take a hold of-"

"Your shoulder?" She asks.

"Yup." You look over to your right shoulder and see that this time, Sylas's grab left a scar, similar to the one Swain left you with his magic a couple of years ago. This one, however, is shaped like a hand, rather than a random wound like the last one. "Damn. Anyway, I don't know what he did, however, it felt as if someone was pouring molten iron over my shoulder. It was really bad. Anyway, after that, he escaped, and I was left puking left, right, and center."

"I see. You smelled the part too when they brought you in."

"Who washed me?"

"A couple of the guards."

"Give them thanks from me, will you?"

"I will. Also..." she comes closer. "I have a couple of things to discuss with you."

"Alright, go on."

"First off... What Sylas did to you." She takes a little bottle and makes you open your mouth, before pouring a bit in. You taste the familiar taste of petricite down your throat and cough, however, nothing happens. You look at your hands but nothing blue or white or anything at all comes out. You look back up at her. "He must have severed your connection to your magic, or even taken it all for himself. Only that would leave such a scar."

You look at your arms, the part where he grabbed you before and see nothing. The last time it didn't leave a scar. "What does it mean? Have you ever seen anything like this?" You ask her. She shakes her head.

"I don't think so, sorry."

You sit in the dark for a while, thinking about it. It doesn't trouble you too much, which surprises you. You'd expect to miss such a power, however, you mainly used your sword, so it didn't matter. After a while, Tiana speaks up again.

"Next up. Your future." She edges closer. "You did a lot for us, Derrick, however, they may be no exceptions in Demacia. If we let you stay, people would want the same treatment. It would raise a lot of questions. Why would you be allowed to stay when so many others were imprisoned, exiled, or even executed." She shakes her head. "It will not do. When you leave the medical wing, you will have a day to pack your bags."

You give a short nod and give her a small smile. "I understand. It seems I can never really stay in one place for a while."

"The next thing. Since you are going away from us either way, we would want to ask you for something."

"Who is we?"

"the little council you briefly participated in. We know we are kicking you out of our country and we know you probably won't accept, however, they asked me to ask you either way. Remember the mission we wanted to send you and Lux on before this entire thing?" You nod. "We would appreciate it if you could help us even then."

"What would I have to do and why would I do that?"

"We will give you a parchment. In it, we have written a plea for help. Should you encounter people who you deem worthy of helping us, please, try to get them on our side. As to why," she leans back. "You shall get a single wish granted. As long as it is in our power to grant and not along the lines of 'I want to rule Demacia.' and the sort."

"Sounds like a cheap way to buy me off."

"Because it is." She says. "Listen... nobody knows how, however, the old King... he was killed during the last battle. Somebody snuck into his room and murdered him. Now, Jarvan the Fourth is king. And he... let's say that the fact that the mages were responsible for his fathers death made him hate their community a lot."

"So basically, he wants me gone or dead."

"...Yeah. The fact that he is giving you a chance is pure luck. And if you don't accept..."

"I am most likely done for."

"You catch on fast. Jarvan... isn't the same Jarvan he was before. The grief he feels for his father has made his decisions rash. Please, for the sake of me... hell, for the sake of Lux and Garen. Nobody from the Crownguards wants you to end up executed."

"Alright... I will think about it. However, I will accept only if I get two wishes!"

"You are pushing your luck."

"Ask Jarvan this: What is worse, not having enough troops to help him defend his kingdom or granting me a second thing."

"...Alright." She gets up. "One last thing." She turns around to face you. "What is going on between you and Lux?"

You look at her, a bit startled, but answer. "Well... several things. I assume you know about her affliction, as she calls it?"

"I do. Garen knows too."

"Well, I helped her learn to conceal it better, in order to keep her from harm. After a while, she began to hang out with me more and one thing came to another and..."

She nods with a sigh. "I knew something was up... Listen, I expect that she will want to go along with you. I know you will keep her safe and I also know what one of your wishes will be. I hope you realize, however, that such a relationship between a highborn woman and a guard is outrageous. I won't tell anyone, but keep in mind, that once you fulfill the quest Jarvan has given you, you will have to say your final goodbyes with her. Don't get too attached."

With that, she leaves the room, leaving you in the darkness of the medical wing, to think over what just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know I strayed a bit (or maybe quite a lot) from the original story of League, but I hope it doesn't rub you guys the wrong way. I kind of want to do my own thing from here on out, only using the already written lore for a foundation for future story arcs. I hope it isn't a problem! Also, as it turns out, Derrick will soon be leaving Demacia... a bit sad to let all of the great times you had here go to waste, but I promise you that from here on out, a ton of interesting stuff will happen. Without spoiling much, I will only say that I mean to introduce either two or three new characters next time, depending on how it comes out, that will escort you on your journey. Other than that, sorry for the small chapter, and for the little break I took. I kind of lost my inspiration for a while, lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless, I will try to be more consistent from now on. Stay safe!


	22. A Departure at Dusk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are ordered to leave the city due to concerns with the citizens in Demacia. As you make your way out, you say your farewells to a couple of familiar faces, you end up meeting some new ones, who will be along for the ride for a while.

As you are escorted to the mansion by a little group of guars, you ponder on what to do next. Of course, you will be leaving town at sundown, as ordered by the new king. 'It will cause less commotion and trouble fewer peasants.' they told you. More likely they don't want anyone to start getting any ideas. After all, the rebellion was destroyed a couple of hours ago, and a lot of people were still on edge. Seeing the 'Battle Mage' (as the civilians began calling you) get thrown out of the city could cause a violent reaction from the civilians. Anyways, you reach the mansion and begin to wonder what the hell to do with Lux. She will definitely want to come along with you, as she has made it clear that staying in Demacia under the current way it is ruled would drive her mad. However, not only will the journey itself be dangerous, but she is also well-known outside of Demacia. This could lead to a couple of problems along the lines of bounty hunters looking for an easy ransom, assassins looking for a pick, and many more. The common roads and towns weren't made for someone of such high standing. If she did come with you, she would have to definitely change her appearance and change her entire attitude. An optimistic, constantly smiling and a naive lady wouldn't last long out there. With a sigh, you begin to wonder what to wish for. If Lux really wants to come with you so much, that would be your first wish as you wouldn't ever forgive yourself if you left her alone in here, where she can't be herself. It would most definitely anger a lot of people, however, you don't care at this point. In the last week, you have made a lot of people angry at you, what are a couple more added to the list? The second wish would have to be something good. You thought about asking for someone else to join you, however, the only one you could think of was Garen and he is definitely more needed here than on a random road somewhere. 

As you reach the mansion itself, the guards leave you at the door, telling you to gather your things and come out when ready. You enter and find it empty as most of the servants are either in the capital building still hiding or on their way here. It would be a while before things went back to normal. Not that you'd be here to see it. You go up the stairs to your room and open the door lightly. As expected, Lux is nowhere to be seen. She is probably dealing with her own problems int he main building. Being a part of such a grand family had its drawbacks, one of which is definitely having to sit through every single meeting there was. You pick up your old leather bag, which is rather a stitched pouch you made yourself from a successful bear hunt you once had with your friends from the mercenary group. You got the pelt from the entire thing as you struck the finishing blow with a spear. The memory brings a little smile on your face as you open the bag and look around the room for something to put in. You take off your armour first, not wanting to be uncomfortable when it isn't necessary, and that reminds you to take a set of clothes from the wardrobe. You spot your old mercenary clothes, the mix of red cloth, and blackened leather catching your eye in the corner of the container. With a small sigh, you murmur to yourself a little 'Guess we are going back to this life again, huh?' before you throw them into the bag. As you walk around, you throw a map of the world into the mix too, as it will come in handy and an iron water canister. Looking over to Lux's side, you pick up her staff and put it in your pack. She wouldn't be able to sneak it out herself, you think, so you might as well help her. Other than that, you spend the next half an hour rummaging through the house for general recourses, taking whatever you deem useful, such as a couple of slices of salted meat, a couple of limestones for sharpening your blade, a couple of bandage rolls, a bottle of mead to go along with it should you need to cleanse some wounds, a pot for general usage or cooking and a fire-starting kit, which consists of a little box of flammable scraps and a flint and steel.

You take a final look at the mansion as you put the heavy bag over your shoulder. You will definitely miss this place, along with the forest where the two of you trained and the yard where Fiora beat you up. Shaking your head, you walk out from the main gate and nod to the guards sitting around in front of it. They nod back and stand up. The sun is already close to setting, as the five of you make your way into the main hall of the capital building, where you are supposed to meet with the king before setting off. As you walk in, you see that the hall is pretty empty, Jarvan and his guards, along with Tiana being the only ones there. As you walk forward, the silence begins to make you uncomfortable, but you decide to keep your cool.

"You have arrived," Jarvan says

"I have."

"Let's get this over with quick. I have enough on my mind without having to decide what to do with you."

"Alright. First off-"

"First off, I must tell you that I am grateful that you helped us in putting out this rebellion. Even so, I believe Tiana has explained why you can't stay here anymore."

"She has and I understand. Not a good way to repay what I have done, but..."

"It is no way to repay you. I have no choice, however."

"Yup. I am sorry for your father, by the way. He seemed like a decent man, from what little I got to know him."

"I don't need the condolences of somebody of the kind that killed him." He snaps then eases back into the throne. "I am sorry... I know you mean well, but I don't think I will be able to look at a mage the same way I did before." He sighs and says. "alright. What do you want? As long as you take up the quest we gave you, you get two things of your choosing."

Thinking for a while, you try to justify taking Lux with you, but it isn't easy. It is selfish, really. Still, your mind flashes back to that one time when she told you how living here really feels when there is nobody who understands you, then you remember that it had even forced her to communicate with Sylas. Shuddering at the thought of that man getting his hands on Lux, you sigh and say. "I would like to take Lux along for the travel. She has gotten quite attached to me and has expressed the wish to see the world several times. I want to grant her that at least, for everything good she has done to me."

Jarvan raises one eyebrow and looks over to Tiana. She stands there for a while, judging you from afar, her eyes locked with yours before she nods curtly. "So be it. Garen will not be pleased, but I don't think that is your problem anymore. Next up?"

You ponder for a while and suddenly, something hits you. You look up and say. "I would like to request something rather simple. I want a letter, signed by you, that promises that Lux will always be safe, welcome, and undisturbed in Demacia, no matter what happens." Jarvan raises his eyebrow again, along with Tiana. "Why is that? I thought these were supposed to be YOUR wishes, not ones for Miss Crownguard."

"They are mine. I just want to guarantee her safety." In reality, the chances of Lux being a mage getting discovered while the two of you are travelling are pretty big, so it is always good to have such protection for her.

"Sure. Arnold, bring me the ink and parchment." After a couple of minutes of scribbling, Jarvan hands you the piece of paper. You read it carefully and hand it back, satisfied. It says that whatever happens, Lux will always be welcome in Demacia as a rightful citizen. You just hope that he will keep his promise.

"If that is all, then you should get going to the north gate. I won't be able to attend your departure, but know, that I will be forever grateful for what you did for us." With that, he shakes your hand and walks off. Tiana comes closer to you, places her hand on your shoulder and gives you a little smile. it's one fo the only times you have seen her do so. She stays like this for a while and you begin to notice how she is related to Lux. When not frowning, she looks quite similar to her. She then says "I am glad you wished for that paper. I am glad to see that I haven't misjudged you after all." She looks around and says for the guards to leave you. After they do so, she turns back to you, a serious look on her face. "Listen, Derrick, I trust you with her safety. Do not let me down. She may be the thing Demacians are sworn to banish, yet if she dies, it will bring sorrow to everyone. Please, if not for her, then for me, keep her safe."

"I will don't worry." She nods and says. "I have to go along with the new King at all times, so I won't be able to see you off as well. Still, I am sorry for everything I did to you while you were here and I hope you can forgive me. I enjoyed your stay here." With that, she turns around and walks off. You stay there for a while, baffled by her attitude and eventually walk off too, heading for the North Gate. 

As you walk over there, you see that most of the houses around are getting rebuilt even now. Some of the civilians wave at you, some shout a farewell and some even walk up to give you some gifts, like a bit of food. When you finally reach the gate, you see a small group of soldiers gathered around to keep anything bad from happening. In the middle, under the gate, you see four horses lined up, one for you, obviously, one for Lux and two for somebody else. The two ones that are left are probably for the people who would accompany you. Speaking of them, you see Lux talking to an armoured figure and a hooded one on the side of the road. As you near them, the armoured one gives you a nod and Lux a wave. 

"Hey, Derrick!" The blonde girl says.

"Hey. I... I hope you don't mind that I brought you in for the ride."

"Not at all. I was hoping you would do it!"

"Alright. We should get going soon. Who are our friends?"

The armoured one steps forward and only now do you pay her enough attention to see that she is a woman. She has short hair, a helmet in her hand and a crossbow on her back. "I am Quinn. The King summoned me here to aid you in your travels. I hope we will get along nicely."

You shake her hand and say "Hello! I am Derrick. I hope so too." You look over to the one next to her, hidden under a hood. "And what about you?"

"She doesn't talk a lot..." Lux says after a bit. "Apparently, Jarva- The King himself made her join our little group. He said it would be safer and better that way."

You nod and look at the hooded figure. "Well, whoever you are, I hope we get along for the journey. And that you open up to us a bit. We have to rely on each other after all." She nods curtly and Quinn steps in.

"Don't worry, give her a bit of time." Seeing as how she is both hooded and doesn't talk within the city, you catch on and assume that her departure should be kept a bit of a secret for some reason. You nod at Quinn and she gives you a small smile and the four of you mount the mounts. As you ride out of the gates, you notice with regret that Garen isn't there too, Fiore as well. Understandable, considering how much work there is in the city itself. As the four of you ride off, you take one final glance at the city before turning your head forward. As you ride, you decide to make some small talk. 

"Hey, Quinn? I have heard of you before. Why would someone with the name "Demacia's Wings" be sent to escort us? Aren't you needed more back home?"

"Yes and no. Back at home, I was mainly on guard duty. I just kept watch on the northern perimeter of our borders. The only thing that ever came were barbarians, which our guards deal with by themselves. Seeing as how we are going North first, I volunteered to travel alongside you. I told Jarvan that my skills were getting dull with only sitting around and that if we were going north anyway, we could take care of the problem and remove it altogether. He was reluctant at first, but he owed me one from a while back, so he allowed it." She looks up at the sky, where you see a small dot flying around.

"I heard you have a companion. Is that him? Or her."

"Yup, there he is! Keeping watch over us. It's what he always does when I am travelling. Keeps us from getting ambushed."

"Woah. Well, I am glad to have you here!"

"I am glad to be out here too." She says with a small smile and turns back to her ride. Nobody speaks for a while, and when the road becomes too dark for riding, the four of you make camp in a little forest a couple of miles off the road. As you light the fire, Lux sets up your small tent, Quinn begins to help you with cooking up some meat while the other woman sits down near the fire and begins to look around, looking for something. Maybe she was simply keeping watch. Anyways, as the meat slowly gets done, your mouth waters from the smell it gives off and you remember that the last time you ate was over two days ago. Lux is finally done with the tent and the four of you sit around the little campfire to eat. They only gave you a single tent, but it had to serve, as it was easier to pack up and conceal, rather than having four different ones. Plus, it made it easier to guard everyone. While you eat, Quinn opens her eyes and speaks up to the hooded woman. 

"We are far enough now, Shyv. You can ditch that hood. Nobody will see you here."

Shyv? What kind of name is that? Suddenly, the woman takes her hood off and you see a short, dark hair, covering a purple-skinned woman with orange eyes. Eyes wide, you suddenly realize who is with you.

"Stop gawking at me, Derrick. Never seen a dragon before?"

"For real? Why would they send you here, out of all people? I thought Demacia needed everyone they could get their hands on right now! Why would they let you leave them?"

"Jarvan didn't want people to question his decisions. After killing so many mages, there would be questions as to why someone like me could still stay in court. I had to leave, but doing so publicly would show our enemies that one of the most feared warriors of the kingdom isn't there anymore. That's why it was so secretive."

"Damn... Well, I didn't expect to meet someone of your caliber here, out of all places. A real pleasure to meet you!" You say, shaking her hand. Her touch is even warmer than Lux's and her flesh is weirdly rough and scaly. It is a bit weird. Still, you don't let it show on your face and the four of you proceed to have a lovely first night together. Still, as they go to bed and you take the first watch, you can't help but wonder why the hell would they send such valuable assets to such a small thing as your mission. You could do with only a dozen soldiers. Why send those two? I mean, Quinn could be explained reasonably, but Shyvanna? A dragon?! It makes no sense. Something is being kept from you and you know it, and you don't like it. Maybe you could get Lux to tell you sometime soon. As the night passes, however, you know that you have more important things to do now. The North of Runeterra isn't kind, and that is where you are going now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who was lazy and didn't want to sit down and write a new chapter for a while. Yup, that's me. I had a birthday recently, so I kinda had other things on my mind, lol. Anyways, I decided to add Shyvanna and Quinn to this work to make things more interesting. Expect a journey to the North of Runeterra in the next couple of chapters. I think I have a pretty good idea of what will go on there. Let's just hope my lazy ass doesn't lose interest/motivation in this project again. (Also I accidentally closed the tab for this chapter halfway through and got a mini heart attack. Thank god google remembered it and I didn't lose progress.) As always, I hope you are doing great, friends, stay safe and see you soon!


	23. An Eventful First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally set off for the North, making your way up a small road, trying to reach some cave Quinn knows that could take you to the other side of the mountain. On the way there, you make camp in a little hole, hoping for a calm night. However, the night is young, and there are many beasts in this part of the world...

As the morning comes, you clomb out of the tent. Quinn took the last watch, so you find her sitting on a log, her head resting in her right arm, her crossbow to her side, and Valor sitting on her left shoulder. She seems pretty bored, you think to yourself. Shyvana and Lux are still sleeping, as the sun has yet to rise. As you exit the tent, Quinn looks at you and nods with a smile. You nod back and take a seat next to her.

"Was the watch boring?" You ask her, as the two of you watch Valor fly off into some trees to the far side of the forest. The sky is mostly dark, besides a reddish color to the East.

"Yup. Yours?" She asks as she checks her crossbow for what you assume to be the hundredth time.

"Pretty dull. I spent some time looking at the stars in the sky, but then these clouds formed and I was left with looking at the fire burning out."

"I guess that's good. The watch being uneventful, I mean. As we go further North, however, I suspect that will change."

"Let's hope it doesn't." You say with a sigh.

"You said you looked at the stars... Do you like them?"

"Huh... I guess I do, although I have never thought about it. They are pretty."

"They are. I don't want to spoil too much, but when you go far enough into the North, something begins to happen to the sky."

"Something bad?"

"Something pretty. It's as if somebody is casting spells in the sky."

"Woah... that must look amazing."

"It does."

"Have you spent much time in the Northern parts of Runeterra, Quinn? Because you sound like you have a lot of experience with this part of the world."

"Yeah, I guess you can say so. Most of my patrols usually took place in the northern parts of Demacia. If you didn't know, that is where we train our Wyvern riders. And that is where I grew up, the town of Uwendale."

"That the place where you met your bird?"

"He's not just a 'Bird'! He is my friend! And no, not exactly... I met Valor elsewhere. In the North, yeah, however, in a different way than you might imagine."

She didn't seem to want to carry on with that story, so you decide not to push her and the two of you sit there for a while, looking at the sun coming up, as the sky changed its color from orange to light blue slowly.

"I'll go wake those two. Take a little walk to stretch yourself if you want to. You have been sitting for a while." You tell the woman and as she gets up, you enter the tent. It's a bit hot inside, so when you open the door, you let some of the cold morning wind get in. Still, that doesn't seem to bother either Lux or Shyvana as they continue napping off. Crouching next to the blonde woman, you tap her by the shoulder gently.

"Lux, get up. Time to go." She doesn't react, so you grab her shoulder and shake her gently. "C'mon, Lux. Get up! We have to move." She groans and turns around. With a smile, you pat her head. "C'mon, you wouldn't want Quinn to do all the work of packing up alone, would you? Not very kind." She finally gets up with a moan. 

"Fine... You are so annoying!" She says, with a fake frown on her face.

"Huh, we have a lot in common then!" You answer, jokingly, as you help her up. She is wearing some sort of fur pajamas. Quinn has some too, but you just slept with your normal clothes on. Shyvana must have slept in her normal clothes too, as her armor is laid down on the floor beside her. You walk over to her and tap her shoulder too.

"Shyvana, time to go. The sun is-" she instantly opens her eyes, and looked at you, with her orange sight.

"Good morning. I'll be up right now."

"...That was fast..." You murmur to yourself as you exit the tent to leave the women to dress up. While they did so, you looked around the camp, just to make sure nothing weird happened. All of the snares you and Quinn placed yesterday were empty and the sticks you put here and there to alert you if anyone is coming, remain unstepped on. Good, you think to yourself, as you make your way back to the camp. You see Quinn coming up from the nearby river, multiple waterskins in her arms. Shyvana and Lux are out too and are trying to take down the tent. Lux is in some furry brown coat, wearing some heavy boots underneath. You shake your head. She looks like a princess out on a casual ride. That look attracts bandits a lot more than just four travelers. Shyvana is wearing some simple leather clothes, which cover her entirely, leaving only her head and hands out. They seem a bit light, but from what she told you, she doesn't care about the temperature. Apparently, she can keep warm at all times. Still, She puts her dark hood on, hiding her face. You all agreed that it would be better if she went unrecognized for as long as possible. Quinn had a big cloak over her body too, which covered her unique armor, making her look like a normal traveler too. You looked like a mercenary, as usual, so the only real problem was Lux.

You make your way over to her and say. "Hey, Lux? I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" She asks as she pulls down the tent alongside Shyvana. You grab one and help them with it, before answering.

"Well, you see, you are easy to recognize. Even more so, when you are wearing such luxurious clothing. The only thing that could lead to is bandits targeting us more often."

She looks at you and ponders for a moment. "I see... but you are not suggesting I throw these out, right? They are the only ones I have!"

"No, no, nothing like that! The journey up those mountains will make them dirty enough, believe me. What I suggest, is that we make you a bit harder to recognize."

"How would we do that?" She asks.

"We could shorten your hair-"

Her eyes widen. "M-My hair? B-But I like it so much! It is long, a-and clean and... golden! I don't want it cut!"

"I'm sorry, Lux, but Derrick has a point there," Quinn says as she comes to help you with the tent "You are way too recognizable this way."

"B-but..." Se turns towards Shyvana. "Help me out here, Shyv!"

"Huh? I don't know, blondie. It seems like a good idea to me..." She says, shrugging. Lux looks around at all of you, angry, before letting out a deep breath and murmuring a little "Fine..." before she sits don on one log. Quinn looks at you.

"You are the only one with a blade. I'll guide you, go there and get to work." 

"Wouldn't cutting hair with a sword hurt?" Lux asks.

"I don't think so... It is pretty sharp. If I am careful it shouldn't be any different." You pull out your dagger. "Plus I will do it with this, not my longsword. That would just be dumb."

You spend the next half an hour trying to cut her hair without causing her much pain. Quinn is trying to help you with the cutting itself, and when she is done packing, Shyvana joins up too. After a lot of 'Ow' and 'A bit to the left... No, no, to the right now!' you finally end up with something that doesn't look like a straw bush on the head of a girl. Taking a step back, you all admire your efforts, looking at the now short-haired girl. 

"H-How does it look?" She asks, her voice shaking.

"Well...It looks great, actually. Short hair suits you!" You say, with a smile and a thumbs up. She looked pretty cute, but you couldn't say that in front of the other two.

"You look adorable!" Shyvana chimes in, coming closer to her, offering her a hand up. "Right, Quinn?"

"Yup! I like it." The other woman nods with a smile. "Now, let's go. We lost a lot of time already."

With that, the four of you finally set off towards the mountains. Quinn told you she knew a way that wasn't that difficult for horses through some sort of a tunnel. When you asked her how can a tunnel be easier for horses rather than simply going over the mountain, she told you that not only was it cold as hell up there, but it was so steep, you needed climbing equipment to make it through. That was the end of that argument. As your group lowly made its climb along the rocky paths that twisted around the side of the mountain, traveling was slow. Every little pebble could lead to a horse tripping over, breaking its ankle or worse, throwing somebody down the cliff. After a while, you went on foot, leaving only your luggage on the horses, leading them through. It was painfully slow. As you made your way up, the mood quickly fell. Quinn fell silent, focusing on climbing the road, Shyvana got more and more annoyed as she began to growl and murmur at everything. Lux got flustered and tired and slowly began panting heavily, struggling with the road. You weren't much better. The armor couldn't be put on the horse for it to carry, so you had to walk around in it, which made every step a challenge. After a while, you came across a little cave, which was a tiny bit short of a hole in the wall, where you decided to stop for today. As you walked inside, the wind began to blow hard. It could even be felt inside of the cave. You found a dry spot near the corner of the round 'room' where you stretched out your sleeping bags and huddled them together. You played rock paper scissors to determine who is going to sleep next to Shyvana, as she was basically a furnace and who will be to the side. As always, you lost twice and with a sigh accepted the fact that you would have to spend the night shivering. Then, you drew the short straw again and got the first watch. Not only were you walking the entire day, but you also had to wait about four hours before going to sleep. You had some of the salted beef you had packed up before leaving and the three women went to sleep, leaving you alone in the dark. As you watched them snuggle close to the half-dragon, Shyvana game you a cheeky smile and a little wink. You chuckled and shook your head, covering yourself with your fur cloak as you sat and kept watch.

All was good for about an hour or so. The winds outside turned into a blizzard and snow began to cover the road you were on. You watched as the snow fell. It was pretty. For some reason, it made you feel cozy in this small damp cave. Suddenly, you hear a growl. You perk up and look around. What was that? Then, you hear snow, almost silently, getting crushed under something. You slowly get up and unsheathe your longsword. Maybe a beast? You back up to the wall and crouch there, waiting. Whatever it was, it is still out there. The growl became louder and you can hear some more appearing alongside it. You have to wake the others. As you rush to their bedsheets, Shyvana is already getting up. Surprised, you nod to the sound of the noise and she nods back, understanding. The two of you sat there in the dark, ready to pounce. Suddenly, you saw a dark shape appear at the edge of the cave entrance. Nothing was distinguishable, besides the fact that it was something on four legs, furry and that its eyes were burning red. 'Wargs.' You thought to yourself. Shyvana must have understood what it was too, as she mimicked fangs at you with her hands. You nodded and turned back around. A couple more came, and, unsure if you counted correctly in the dark, they appeared to be about a dozen wolves there. You see the shadow of somebody approach you from behind as Quinn slowly crouches beside the tow of you, crossbow in hand. Shyvana does the 'warg face' at her too, and somehow she gets it as well. You turn to them as the wolves slowly enter the cave. You point at yourself, then at the beasts, and then show the number one with your fingers. 'I want to go first.' is what you meant. They nodded. You then point at Quinn and point over to Lux. 'Protect, or wake her up.' You then point at her bow and then back at the wargs. 'Shoot from afar.' Quinn nodded. You then point at Shyvana and make a little circle with your finger. 'Go around them, while I keep their attention.' She nodded too. You then point at her hands and make a little wobbly move with your hand. 'Fire.' was what you wanted to tell her. After a couple of seconds, she understood, or so you hoped, before nodding again, smiling. Looking at one another for one last time, the three of you spring into action. 

You throw yourself at the warg that is closest to you with a roar, trying to draw their attention. Even though you do so, the beast isn't fast enough, and your longsword passes through its neck, beheading it. Arrows whistle by, edging themselves into the face of another one of the creatures, as a couple more miss by an inch the one next to it. They begin growling and trying to circle you, but the space inside the cavern is too small, so they can only stay in front of you. One throws itself at you, but you grab it by the neck as it flies past, sidestepping its lunge, before slamming it into the ground. An arrow finishes it off, but you hear Quinn cry out, as you feel the massive weight of the wolf that lands on your back. It tries to sink its teeth into your neck, but you raise your arm, putting the shoulder-guard in front of it. It bites into it instead and wails, falling back. With a slash, you turn back around, smashing your sword sloppily into it. It still works, however, as the beast topples. Quinn keeps firing arrows at them, but they see better in the dark than her, so most of them miss and the ones that find their target only scratch them or hit their back, resulting in only pissing them off. A couple try to lunge at you, but they have now learned that your sword is to be avoided, so they don't just rush in. Instead, three come at you at the same time. Quinn kills one swiftly, as it is close enough for her to make out, but one sinks its teeth into your forearm. You groan, slash at the other one that is coming to you, your sword landing right into its open mouth with a decimating blow. Your hand almost drops the sword form the impact of the blow, as the dead wolf falls behind you, almost bringing you down with it. The one that has caught you, however, begins to shake it's head, trying to tear off your arm. You begin to scream and shout as you try to push it away while also avoiding getting jumped by more. Suddenly, a bright fire fills the cave as Shyvana comes out from behind them, her hands and eyes burning.

"Come here, puppies!" She cries out as the wargs begin to back away from the flame, as any animal does. She shoots a fireball at the one that is still clutching onto you and you see it burn right through the beast, leaving it on the floor. She then faces the remaining six beasts with a wicked smile on her face. "C'mon, just try to fight a dragon!"

None of the wargs seemed to wish to do so, however, as one bolted through the entrance of the cave. The others tried to follow, but you swung your sword into one and Shyvana straight up punched another with her flaming fist. The three left scattered around, wailing, before finally exiting the cave. You look around, panting, and see a shocked Lux, eyes wide, looking at the scene from the corner. Shit... you just remembered that this is probably the first time she has seen a fight, and a mortal one at that, from so close. Quinn was patting her on the back, obviously trying to calm her down. You and Shyvana exchanged looks before both of you made your way over. Lux's eyes seemed to be fixated on you, however. What was wrong?

"Don't worry, Lux. Derrick and Shyvana are fine. I am fine. Everyone is fine besides those wolves."

"D-Derrick... he... he..." She stuttered.

"Derrick did great! He took that hit like a champ! Right?" Shyvana said, punching you in the shoulder.

"Uhm... Yeah, yeah, of course! 'Tis but a scratch!" You say, suppressing the hiss of pain you wanted to make when Shyvana touched your torn-up arm.

"So much blood..." She looked back up at you. "...You... Do you do this?... For a living?" she asks.

An awkward silence fills the room. "I... Uhm, I DID this for a living... no more though." You say, as you slowly take off your left glove to reveal the wound.

"How?" The blonde girl asks.

"Well... Uhhh... I guess you just get used to it?" The look she gave you when you said that was horrified. "Hey, don't look at me like that! It's not like I enjoy doing it! Everyone is forced to do it! Quinn has probably done it, Shyv too, Garen."

"Right! Nothing to fret over." Shyvana said, trying to sound cheerful.

When Quinn saw your wound, however, she winced and looked at Shyvana. She nodded and Quinn told Lux. "Why don't you join me for a little walk outside? The snow has stopped and the night is really beautiful. Just to take your mind off things? I saw a little clearing a couple of meters up from here, with a pond. Let's go fill the waterskins." Lux nodded, still terrified, as Quinn led her outside.

"Now..." Shyvana turned to you. "That wound ain't looking good. I will seal it up with my fire if you allow me to. It will hurt, but it will stop the bleeding and kill any bacteria that might be in the wound."

Thinking things over, you finally say. "Ok, I trust you. Better this than getting some weird sickness from these beasts."

"I will be gentle, don't worry," Shyvana says, trying to cheer you up, before frowning a bit. "Still, put this cloth in your mouth. We wouldn't want to traumatize blondie here with your screams, right?"

"I guess not," you say with a sigh, as Shyvana heats her fingers until they begin to glow and you stuff the cloth into your mouth. As she begins to work, you begin to groan, trying not to shout out.

After some agonizing ten or twenty minutes, she is finally done. You are almost unconscious by that time, but as she begins to clear out your bloody hand with some snow, you slowly come to your senses.

"T-Thanks, Shyv... I guess." You mumble out as she wraps some cloth around the now sealed wound to stop it from hurting so much when your glove covers it. She then puts your gloves back on and examines her work.

"Good as new! You are quite tough, you know that?"

"People tell me that a lot."

"Good. You should use this to your advantage." She says, sitting down next to you. After a bit, she speaks up. "Lux may act a bit different towards you for a bit. I hope you realize that. People always do it when they see death for the first time. Don't take it personally, okay? When we talked, she showed a lot of affection towards you."

"I won't, don't worry. Still, she seemed... scared? To look at me. Do you think she sees me as dangerous now?"

"Maybe, maybe not. You see, all of those stories you told her about your travels probably sounded fine, but they were just a story. Such a sudden clash with reality, with the real feeling of killing something, it may have been a bit too much. Leave her alone for a while, she will deal with it. Crownguards are quite tough, after all, if her brother has shown me anything."

You sigh and after a while, Lux and Quinn come back. She seems a lot more relaxed than before. Quinn promised you to skin and throw the animals away after she went to sleep. You would have done that yourself if you hadn't taken such a bad bite to the arm. As Quinn replaced you on guard duty, you took off your black and red mercenary armor and go in your sleeping bag, moving closer to the half-dragon, sleeping in the middle of you and Lux. She really was warm! Happy for a little warmth, you turn your back towards her and slowly fall asleep, falling into a weird dream about dragons, wolves, falcons, a ball of light, and a big red-black bear, sticking close to all three of them, always keeping watch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought I had forgotten about this again! Or that I lost my interest in it once more! Well, you were wrong! I am still here, ready to provide. Anyway, our characters made their way up the mountain and got attacked by wargs, which left Lux quite shocked. I wonder how will she see Derrick now, once she saw what he was truly good at doing. I tried to make some character development between our boy and Shyvana and Quinn. I am setting them up for something later on, but I won't spoil anything. Also, about the last sentence, I was wondering which animal suited Derrick the most and stopped at the bear. Big, strong, enduring, and blunt. Just like him! Plus, they look pretty cool. I love bears. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this! Stay safe, friends, and I hope to see you in the next one too!


	24. Chatty Travels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As you make it through the final part of your journey to the cave, you talk to different people from your group, trying to entertain yourself, learning something about Quinn in the process too.

The following week was a nightmare. The four fo you scarcely got more than four to five hours of sleep, before either the weather or the beasts outside woke you up. After undergoing several assaults, you were feeling like shit. And you could see that it wasn't only you who was feeling like that. Quinn was tough and didn't want to show it, but the dark circles under her eyes were plain now, and she was constantly dozing off when possible. Still, she held up well in a fight. Shyvana didn't need so much sleep as the rest of you, as she just looked a bit ruffed up, but the worst of all was Lux. You were doing pretty fine, as due to your past life, going on without much sleep had become familiar with you. The blonde woman, however, was another tale. She looked pretty bad, for starters, as the sleep deprivation had left its marks on her face more notably than on Quinn's. While Quinn had a darker face and hair, Lux's pale skin and gold hair really made the black rings under her eyes stand out. Not only that, but she could barely walk sometimes, so you had to put her on a horse and trot along slowly, as one misstep could cost her her life. You were pretty sure she had a hard time sleeping too. You and Quinn, you were hardened soldiers, so fear wasn't something the two of you felt that often, Shyvana was half-dragon and had nothing to fear, so she slept peacefully. Lux, however, was different. Every howl, scratch, and sound that she heard in the dark seemed to frighten her, and sometimes, while on watch, you could hear her turning in her sleeping bag for hours before setting in. If anything, she was doing the worst out of all of you. Her usual optimism was gone, and it was a rarity to see even the faintest smile come out of her face. Add all of that up, and it is safe to say that the mood of the group was pretty bad. Still, according to Quinn, you were about a day or two away from reaching that cave she told you about. After that, there would be no more climbing, but rather normal walking.

On the bright side, you had no problem with your clothes nor your food. Due to the common night attacks, you had a ton of wolf meat and a ton of wolf hide to back it all up. You made Lux some gloves from one pelt, as she was missing some, and used the others to stitch together a thick, warm bedsheet that you carried around, rolled up on the back of one horse. You covered everybody up with it as you went to sleep, so the cold weather wasn't such a problem. Still, some nights it was so cold that you had to cuddle together in a bundle just so you wouldn't freeze. Shyvana wasn't too pleased with the entire ordeal, but she had no choice. Now that you think about it, she is probably the only thing keeping you alive up here. Not only does she scare off the wargs and wolves, but she is also a portable furnace. 

As another day slowly rolled by, you come up next to Quinn, looking for some small talk.

"How much to the cave?" You ask, breathing heavily.

"About half a day, maybe?" She answers, panting from the climb, sweat running from her forehead. Valor was flying around you in circles, way up, looking out for any enemies.

"I sure hope so... We will be relatively safe inside, right?"

"Probably. Some rangers told me that they had set up a good camp in there and that there weren't any monsters that were going to trouble us..."

"I hope they weren't the same fellows who told you the way up here wasn't that long..."

When she didn't answer, you shook your head with a little chuckle. "Damn it..."

As the two of you walked up, you looked back at Lux, worried. She wasn't doing that hot. Ever since you killed those wolves, she seems to avoid talking to you too much. Seems like the bloody scene was still stuck in her mind. That's why you try not to trouble her too much, unless necessary. No use making this more troublesome to her than it already is. She is talking about something with Shyvana, and you see her smile a bit, which makes your day a bit better. You turn back to Quinn.

"You know, I am beginning to respect the Frejlordians. Imagine living up here and making it past twenty years of age... Hell, even making it past your tenth birthday must be tough."

"Frejlordians are used to these conditions. They know special ways, techniques, and places that all help them survive. We, on the other hand, know how to fight and nothing else."

"I once met a Frejlord soldier in my mercenary group. I can't recall his name, but he was pretty tough. Held out against all odds and took about thirty people down to hell with him before finally dying. He was a good fellow, nonetheless, even though he was a bit fearsome to look at. Big beard, bushy eyebrows, long hair, massive muscles, covered in armor, and missing an eye. I think that their tricks aren't the only thing that lets them survive here. They appear to be pretty tough too."

"True. Some people even tell stories of a man that can't die. His anger fuels him, they say, and while pissed off, he doesn't falter." She answered. "I don't believe them myself, but who knows..."

"I have heard talk that there have been some conflict in between the tribes up here too."

"There always will be a conflict between tribes, Frejlordian or not. That's just how they work. although I have heard of this too. From what I know, there are three women that have named themselves queen. Now they are fighting to see who wins. Which reminds me, once we get closer to their territories, it would be best to keep out of trouble. No need to get involved in some clan feud. We are sent on a recruitment mission, after all, not slaughtering."

"True..." You look up at Valor, who suddenly came down to rest on Quinn's shoulder. The bird looks at you and lets out a scream, before beginning to clear its wings. 

"He doesn't like you for some reason," Quinn says with a chuckle.

"Many people don't. I am used to it..." You answer, looking at the bird. "He is a beauty, I can't deny it, though."

"Yeah, he does look good for an eagle."

"You never told me how you got him." You say, looking at her under your hood. She turns to you, ponders for a while, before saying:

"Alright... I will tell you, but only if you tell me a story after!"

"Deal?" You say, confused.

"Alright. Well, when I was little, I had a brother. Caleb, he was called. We were inseparable. We had a dream of becoming knights one day and fight alongside the King. Well, one thing came to another, I won't go into too many details, but one thing went to another and we ended up fighting a giant tuskvore one day, along with some Demacian hunters. The fight went bad and well..." She sighed and looked at the sky. "Caleb didn't make it out. The beast rammed my brother and gutted him with its tusks, from his right hip all the way through to his shoulder. It was awful. He died, saving the Buvelle head from death. We buried him there, under some trees." She shook her head. "The next couple of months were really tough. I didn't know what to do, as I and Caleb were planning on fighting together, serving as knights, but that no longer seemed worth it. I felt no joy for quite a while. Every year, I went to his grave and paid him homage..." She petted Valor and said. "And here, he comes in play. Once, when I visited my brother's grave, I encountered a wild tuskvore there, actually, it was the same one that I and my brother had driven back so long ago, as it had shafts of arrows still sticking out of its face. Well, I didn't hear it coming and it attacked me. I didn't react quickly enough and it tore a big wound in my side, going from hip to collarbone. I would have ended up like Caleb, if not for Valor. I shot at the beast, but it charged at me again, for one final hit before it collapsed. Suddenly, Valor came in from the sky and scratched the face of the monster. It lost it's footing and fell, and I had time to shoot it straight in the eye, killing it. That's how we met, and he has been with me ever since!"

"Woah..." you say after some silence. "I didn't know you had a brother, Quinn. I am sorry for his death."

"Don't be. Not your fault, is it?"

"I guess not. Still, I feel a bit bad for making you tell that story."

"It's fine. Such things happen so we can learn from them. And how can we learn if we don't tell them to others? Also..." She gives you a small smile. "You kind of remind me of my brother, in some way. He wasn't a sword user, neither did he wear such clothes. The thing that makes you two similar is the fact that you are both reckless, fiery, calm, and kind to others. And you are just as dumb as him, throwing yourself in harm's way for other people." She said with a sad chuckle. 

You scratch the back of your head with a confused smile. "Well... I don't really know what to say to that. Also, being selfless isn't dumb!"

"True. Getting killed is." She said, her smile fading away. "Now, for the story, you promised me... How did you come to find that longsword? I hear you have been with it for... well, forever!"

"This thing?" You say patting your bastard's sword. "Well, it's a bit of an underwhelming story, to be fair. I fought against Noxus once, as we were hired by some small castle to protect them against the invasion."

"Weren't you fighting alongside Noxians too?" Quinn asked.

"I did, but we joined them after this battle. While we held them off, the people from the castle escaped. Once we realized that we were fighting for nobody, our leader ordered us to stop. As we had held out against big odds, the Noxians offered us a place in their forces, for a much more handsome pay. Denying the offer would be dumb, so we had no choice but to accept."

"Mercs really do everything for money, huh?"

"That's why we are called 'Sellswords'. Anyway, during the fight, I came up against one commander. He wielded a shield and this longsword. During the fight, we both injured one another. While we fought, the entire thing with the retreat from the castle happened and our forces were ordered to stop the fight. Still, because of the Noxian tradition of not interrupting a fight, we found ourselves in a circle, as men were watching us finish. The man in front of me was old, a veteran, while I was young, I believe around eighteen? Anyway, his experience gave way to my fast movements and strong hits. After a long fight, I finally drove my blade through his chest. As he fell, he grabbed onto me and told me something, with a bloody smile on his face. I still remember what he said. 'Good fight, son. You beat me, the Noxian way. I was way too old for this anyway... Still, I want one last thing from you. My grandson is serving in the 118th division of Noxus. This sword, it's a family heirloom. Please, bring it to him. Let him know his Grandfather fought until his last breath.' Well, I wasn't sure what to do as the man died in my arms. Then the general of the army, a man in big, black armor, came over and helped me up, as some men carried the old man off. He picked up the sword and moved his big axe to his left hand. He handed me the blade and told me that it was my duty to return the sword to the grandson of this man. Later, I made my way to the 118th division, as we were luckily stationed to fight alongside them. Well, we were attacked out of the blue and the grandson of that man was killed before my eyes. They looked the same as if one was a younger version of the other. I felt guilty as if I had messed up badly, so I have been carrying this sword ever since, trying to keep their legacy alive."

Quinn stayed silent for a while before she asked. "You use this weapon, instead of the others Demacia offered you, because of a man you don't know? You rejected Demacian steel for this?"

"Yes. And I don't think I will ever stop using this blade unless it breaks. I have a duty to fulfill."

Quinn looked at you, with sadness in her eyes. "You really are like Caleb, you know?" Before she turned around and walked up forward, leaving you to yourself. What was that supposed to mean? And why did she look so sad in the end?

"I didn't know you got that sword in such a way." You heard somebody sat from behind. You turn around and see Lux approaching, a small smile on her face.

"I have had not time to tell you stories recently." You answer, waiting for her to come next to you. "How are you holding up?"

"Better than before. Shyv let me sleep for a bit on the horses as she guided them up. I really needed that."

"Yeah, I can tell."

"Do I look that bad?" She said, with a sad smile.

"As bad as everybody."

"Looking at you, I must be looking really bad..." She said, chuckling.

"I will pretend I didn't hear that." You answer with a smile of your own. "Hey... I wanted to talk with you about something?"

"About that night?"

"Not only that. You really need some rest, and being frightened by everything won't help you with it."

"I... I know, but it is hard. So much bloodshed, so many beasts, everything is dark..."

"...A dragon in your group, a revered ranger with a scout better than any we could want and the best swordsman in the land." You say, with a smile.

"Oh my. I am glad to be in the presence of such a knight!"

"For real, though. You have to relax. As long as one of us is breathing, no harm will come to you. And while we are, most of it will probably come to me. Or Shyv. You are quite safe! So please, try to relax tonight. If anything, this may be safer than your own room back in Demacia. No assassins here, just a dragon, a marksman, and a mercenary."

"Hmm...I guess you are right, Derrick." She says with a small smile. "Thank you. I hope that once we set up camp in that cave, you can tell us some more stories. I really enjoy them..."

"You got it!"

Lux leans forward and gives you a little hug. It has been a while since she has done so, and you almost forgot how fragile she felt against you, even more so against your armor, covered in fur. The only thing you wanted to do in that moment was to protect her. That is the thing you plan to do. As Lux carries on forward, Shyvana comes up against you and gives you a nod, smiling.

"The first time I have seen her smile so much since we left. She does like you a lot, you know."

"I know. Look!" You point at a cave entrance a couple of hundred meters above you. "We are getting closer."

"Finally... Anyway, about Lux. She told me what was going on between the two of you. Pretty sweet, to be honest... Still, you are facing the same problem I did... Such a pair can't exist in our world. I don't want to burst your bubble, but..."

"I know...Multiple people have told me that. I don't want to think about it too much."

"You shouldn't. No need to go in a worse mood than this. Anyway, I will be looking forward to your stories tonight!"

You spend the rest of the ride next to Shyvana, talking about different things. As you reach your destination, the mouth of the cave opens up in front of you, and the four of you finally make your way into safety... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter was a bit boring, but I wanted to get some dialogue between the characters before doing anything more interesting. I really want to make them actually connect with each other! Again, posting a bit late, but I had a ton of things to do this past week and I am quite exhausted. Still, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Next, I promise some adventuring! See ya soon, and stay safe!


	25. A Lively Cave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally set up in the cave you managed to reach, but while taking a look around, you notice a big hole in the ground, which makes you all feel uneasy when you leave it unexplored. To let everybody sleep well, you volunteer to go down there and check it out. What you find inside is... well, horrifying.

As the chilling gale howls outside of the cave, you take a seat on a small stone near the entrance and rest your head on your arm. The journey was tiring, but according to Quinn, from here on out, the road should be lighter to bear and easier to walk. The moon isn't visible due to the massive amount of clouds that have formed, which send down wave after wave of snow. You have taken off your armour, as the metal tends to get quite cold in such weather and the danger of you accidentally touching it and harming yourself is big. Instead, you are now wearing your warm clothes, consisting of a fur coat and wool clothes underneath - a gift from Lux before the two of you set off, a way of celebrating the fact that you were free from any charges about being a mage. Speaking of mages, you haven't heard from Demacia in a long while, ever since you set off from the capital, in fact. You are unsure if that should worry you. You hear more wolves and wargs howling someplace close, but from what you know, these animals aren't too fond of caves, so the chance of them coming inside are slim. The little camp you managed to set up was simple but cosy. Shyvana and yourself went out and gathered some sticks and logs from the outside, using one battleaxe you brought along to chop some small trees down. They were pretty moist, so you had some doubts in Shyvanas' theory that she could light them up. The fire booming deeper inside was proof that you should never doubt a dragon. The 2 silver coins not in your pocket were proof that you should never make bets with a dragon too. You stretched out the tent over the floor to keep the cold and damp stone from troubling you throughout the night and put your sleeping bags on top. Quinn was cooking something up in the pot over the campfire, while Lux was assisting her, and Shyv was looking at some maps stretched out on the floor, planning your route for tomorrow. You were camped near the exit of the cave, and the smoke from your fire was getting sucked out of the crevasse, which allowed you to breathe normally. In the night, the small column of black smoke wasn't visible, so you didn't have to worry about it. 

"The snow is quite beautiful, isn't it." You hear a gentle voice say from behind you as Lux takes a seat next to you.

"I guess it is. Doesn't mean I will begin to like it more though. I am sick of cold and soggy feet."

"I told you that you should ask for some better boots from the armoury..."

"...Yup, you did, and I was a dumbass and thought my old shoes would do."

Lux shakes her head with a sigh. "I don't get it. Your mind is as sharp as a razor while in combat but normally you are almost as bad as Garen..."

"Woah, no need to be rude! I have been fighting my entire life, and I haven't had the time to think about clothing. It was rare to even have a choice."

"Yeah but... Aren't you getting used to this new life?"

"Not really. Some habits are hard to break, I guess. Plus, as I was finally getting adjusted to my new lifestyle, Mister Shitface had to attack the capital and spill out my secret to the public."

"...Well, I am glad you were at least enjoying your stay there."

As the two of you sit there for a little while, she nuzzles into your shoulder, hugging you lightly. You put one arm over her shoulder and cover her with your cloak as the wind keeps on howling outside.

"I missed these moments you know." She says, her eyes closed with a small smile on her face. You haven't seen her smile in a while, so you are pleased that at least you managed to do that.

"Yeah, I do too. Not much time for them, however..." You hate to break the moment, but you feel like the two of you have some clearing up to do. "...Aaaand you still like me? Even after all the... unpleasant things you saw me do?"

Lux stays silent for a bit before she sighs and says. "Yeah. I realized that being so troubled by such an event was something I couldn't afford. What if next time you were down on the ground and I was the only thing between you and the wolf? Would I be able to hurt it? I wasn't sure, so I decided that it is time for naive Lux to let tough girl Lux take the reigns."

You smile with a chuckle. "Tough girl Lux? Didn't know you had such a side to you."

Lux punches you in the side with a pouty expression that you find quite cute and mumbles out a little "Of course I do!"

"Well, I am glad you aren't scared of me or something."

"Of course I am not. You have been like a guardian to me ever since we met! I know that no matter what you do to others, you would never hurt me."

"Well, I was doing my job."

"So you didn't care for me?" She asks, with a teasy smile.

"Nope, only doing it for the money." You say with a smile, leaning in and giving her a small kiss, which she returns happily. It's moments like these that keep you going.

"Short hair really suits you by the way-" You begin when suddenly somebody shouts from behind.

"Hey, the two lovebirds! Come here, we gotta eat and I want to explore the deeper parts of this cave in a bit." Shyvana says as she comes next to you two and looks at Lux, who is snuggling into you. "Oh boy, look who is using Derrick here as a cuddle toy. Are you cheating on me? I thought I was the only 'bed warmer' here..." She says with a fake sad voice.

"Looks like you have some competition!" Lux says as the two of you get up, chuckling.

"Is that so? Well," She suddenly pulls you in for a hug. "Looks like you have some competition too!"

You look at her, confused and Lux stands there, not knowing how to react. In a couple of seconds, Shyvana bursts out laughing and lets go of you, giving Lux a little pat on the shoulder. "You should have seen your face, blondie! Seems like you are quite prone to jealousy, huh?"

"You- You draconic idiot! Come back here!" Lux shouts out, blushing as she rushes after Shyvana, who runs to the camp, giggling like a little kid. You shake your head, a small smile on your face as you walk back to camp, the smell of roast meat entering your nose shortly after coming close to your shelter. As you come out from behind the wall blocking your view, you see Quinn looking at the tumble of bodies that is Lux and Shyvana jokingly brawl on the stretched-out tent, giggling.

"What are those two doing?" The woman asks you as you give her a little wave.

"Fighting for yours truly." You say with a smile, as you come and take a look in the pot. 

"Really? Huh, I guess I am the only one with good taste here..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" You ask with a smile. "Damn, your cooked meat always smells fantastic."

Quinn chuckles. "Thanks. Now go get those two and let's eat. I also want to check out the rest of the cave, just in case there is something dangerous there."

As the four of you eat, you tell each other different stories from your past. Shyvana tells you about how she fist met Jarvan and got invited into Demacia. Quinn tells you about the one time when she and her brother made themselves a raft and got lost downriver. Lux told you all about the time she and Garen spent the night camping out in the forest and she tamed a fox, a bird, and a frog, all of which were then carried back to the mansion by Garen and began living in the forest behind it. You told them all about the time when your mercenary group was camping outside some big Noxian town and you decided to visit some famed, big tavern with your friends, which led to a massive bar fight, which to you and Shyvana seemed like a pretty good time, but Quinn and Lux saw it as a dangerous thing.

After a while, you get up and say "Well, let's go check that cavern out, shall we? I want to go to sleep."

"Lead the way, big guy!" Shyvana says as she stretches out. Lux gives her a weird look, the reason for which you fail to see and Quinn picks up her crossbow and gives you a small nod. You sheathe your longsword into your sheath and the four of you begin to descend the slippery makeshift staircase that has formed inside the tunnel. You are holding a torch in your left hand, as Lux is still unsure whether it will be a good idea to reveal her abilities to the two women next to you. As the orange light makes its way across the walls, you don't see anything out of the ordinary. You walk around the big cavern that you uncover and find... nothing. It seems that the cave is pretty much empty. Suddenly, Lux shouts out. "I found another crevice here!"

The three of you join up with her quickly and take a look at the rather big opening that you didn't notice because of the dim light in the room. It is maybe big enough to fit an entire bull into it. Still, the light doesn't seem to reach the bottom of the hole, so the four of you look inside for a while. Shyvana smiles and says.

"I can blow some fire into there. See what's down there."

You shake your head. "Not a good idea. What we are doing with this torch is already a bit dangerous. I have heard that there are gas pockets in caves. Miners lose their lives because of a stray spark constantly. You could bury us all."

"But I really want to check it out... Plus, what if it is dangerous? We can't afford to leave it unexplored..." Quinn nods, for once on the same mind as Shyvana, and Lux gives you a nervous look. She obviously isn't too keen on the idea of sleeping in a cave that has a possible nest or god knows what underneath. You nod too with a sigh and say.

"Alright, I'll go check it out."

Lux recoils in surprise, before saying loudly. "No! What if you get eaten by something? You have no vision in there!"

"I will figure something out, don't worry-"

"No! I am tired of you risking your life for me! Let me come too."

You chuckle, alongside Shyvana and say. "If you think I will let you go somewhere where even I don't want to go, you must think that I am dumber than most. No way I am letting you in. We are here to keep you from harm."

"B-But..." Her eyes widen suddenly, and she gasps, then looks at you. "Wait! Remember that... that crystal I gave you? The one that glows?"

"...What?"

She gives you an annoyed look and comes closer. "The one I gave you... I GAVE YOU... YOU KNOW?"

You give her a confused look, completely unknowing what she is talking about. "...What?"

She whispers something that sounds a bit like 'You are so dumb...' before she leans closer and takes your hand into hers, and you feel something being pressed into your palm. You look at her and find a pouty Lux looking you into the eyes. She then raises your hand to your chest and says. "Here! You even put it on your neck and forgot! You men are so inconsiderate..." before she pulls her hand away and leaves you with some sort of crystal in your hands. You look at it as confused as Shyvana and Quinn. Lux makes a little shake gesture and you move the crystal up and down, and it suddenly lights up. You say a little 'Ohhhhhh.....' and give Lux a little smile, as you finally get what she is trying to do. She must be using her magic to power it up somehow... She shakes her head at your exclamation with a sigh as you pull out a rope from your bag and begin to tie yourself up.

"Right, Quinn, I would like you to keep your crossbow primed, just in case anything decides to come after me if I get attacked. The rope holding I leave to you, Shyv, as you are the strongest from our group."

"Gotcha, Merc-boy." The half-dragon says with a smile.

"Alright. See you all soon. And don't eat all of the steaks, ok?."

As you slowly descend into the chasm, the dim light of Lux's crystal illuminating the nearby wall, you are trying your best not to panic. You have never liked caves, especially ones so big. The thought of the rope snapping or Shyvana letting go for some reason is enough to make your head spin. As you descend further and further down the dark chasm, you begin to wonder if the rope will be long enough as there is no visible bottom yet. You hear the voice of Shyvana coming from far away, but it's too quiet for you to understand, so you just shout out an "I'm okay!" to let them know you are still breathing and carry on. Suddenly, you see something shimmer under you and notice that the light of the crystal is finally illuminating something that looks like a floor. You drop onto it and pull twice to let Shyvana know you are fine and haven't fallen or something. You get some small flames as an ok sign from the small hole that you barely see up above you before you look around. The small bauble isn't of much help, yet it is better than pure darkness. After a bit of looking around, you conclude that you are on some sort of underground bridge. From the looks of it, it is ancient, as cracks and cobwebs cover the place. You are unsure how spiders even live in these conditions, as you are shivering even under all of your furs. Your face is burning up from the cold and for the first time in forever, you envy Lux for that dumb pink scarf she has. As your teeth chatter, you make your way across the bridge, carefully picking every step you make as such an old and withered building could fall at any moment, you suddenly come across a small pedestal. The top of it is covered in webs, but you can make out something inside, giving off a small, barely noticeable glow underneath. You take out your small dagger and begin to cut out the rather sticky substance covering it. That also seems odd, as the cobweb must have been placed relatively recently for it to still be this moist. Older cobwebs are usually covered in dust and are easy to cut, barely sticking on to anything, yet this isn't the case here. Still, you decide not to make much of it, as the glow of the item inside the big ball of webs is getting stronger. You hear some rocks falling around you, but that is normal for such an old building. You slowly but surely uncover a weird, crudely shaped helmet, which appears to be made out of ice. It illuminates a blue light all around you, and you are in awe of its appearance. Something is off about it, though... It looks a bit... Not Frejlord-y? Usually, helmets from this part of the world were open on the front and had horns or something on the sides. This one, in comparison, is dull, without any decorations, which strays completely from the way normal Frejlord weapons are made. It has two eye holes and looks like something you would find on a normal footsoldier or man-at-arms, or any mercenary, to be honest. It's as if somebody took the most basic helm he could find and made a sculpture of it out of ice. As you pick it up and pull it out of the cobweb cave, it illuminates the entire cave...

And you scream in horror, as you see thousands of oversized spiders crawling around the place, scuttling away from the light that the helmet illuminates. The sound of their legs scuttling around was the thing you mistook for rock crumbling a minute ago. You almost scream again as one scuttles right past you, slips falls and begins to have a tantrum on the ground next to you. It gets up and leaps away to the wall, which, horrifyingly, is around thirty meters away, which gives you the chills as you see how far those monsters can jump. Some gather in front of you, but they are scared to come closer, but they open their jaws, with their blue eyes shining in the dark. The scene almost makes you vomit, as your arachnophobia begins to kick in severely. Shaking, you fumble for your sword and almost drop it as you pull it out. Your right hand is going crazy and you are unsure how you are holding up your sword. As you take a step towards the rope, another spider lowers itself behind you and tries to pounce on you, however, you turn around just in time and make it recoil away. You keep turning around everywhere, spiders trying to jump on you as soon as you flip your head away from them. Still, almost mechanically, your legs keep moving you further and further away from the pedestal and closer to the rope you hope to still be there. As the jitter of monsters gets louder and louder as more and more spiders climb on to the bridge, trying to get to you.

Suddenly, something smashes into your right shoulder. You flinch back, gasping, and look at your arm, only to see that your shoulder has been hit by a sticky cobweb. It hasn't impaired you much, but knowing that these things can shoot such things makes your head spin. Suddenly, you hear a little 'bzzt' sound and instinctively duck, as another shot of web flies past your head. Immediately, you turn around and shove the glowing helmet into the mouth of the terrifying monstrosity that tried to pounce on you. It screams as you stab its underbelly with your sword. You knock it to the side, and turn around once more, only to push back a wave of bugs with the light of the helmet. Swearing, you begin to push in further, listening to the distinct sound that these monsters make when they shoot webs. Every now and again, you duck and step aside, as stray shots fly past you. You want to avoid fighting as much as possible, as every second of attention that you pay to an enemy is a second of your back being turned against thousands of monstrosities.

However, just as you begin to get closer to the rope and you begin to feel calmer, suddenly a spider drops onto your head and knocks you down. You scream and roll onto your back, immediately placing your hand in front of your face. The monster, in turn, smashes it's mouth into your forearm and begins to chew through your furs. You scream in terror as you feel the wiggling legs of the creature around your body and it's hairy body smashing against your chest. You feel something tug onto your shoulder and see, horrified, that the friends of the attacker aren't wasting time as they begin tot rash you around, trying to gnaw through your thick clothes. You try to wrestle out of the clutches of the beasts, you drop the helmet on the ground, which was closely followed by the drop of your sword too. In a mountain of spiders, you begin to shout at the top of your lungs for help...

And help comes, as a fiery ball of death slams itself into the ground nearby, the heatwave scorching the fur and some of the spiders on top of you. As Shyvana begins to scorch the rumble that you are under, you rise and pick up your belongings. Suddenly, the flames the half-dragon makes get way too close to the walls and the entire cave begins to go ablaze, as millions of cobwebs are catching fire one by one. Spiders are screeching from everywhere, and the heat is unbearable, to the point where you begin to feel pain from just standing there. Suddenly, your mind snaps to the rope. Was it gone? You shout at Shyvana 'ROPE!' and she points towards the middle of the bridge, a couple of hundred meters away from you, where the rope hangs loosely. By sheer luck, the hole from which you entered was about in the middle of the entire place, so the flames on the sides of the cave and it is still unharmed... although the red tongues are quickly climbing up on the ceiling too. Alongside Shyvana, you take hold of the rope and begin to climb up, as the cave begins to get full of smoke and fire. You hear shouts coming from the hole above you, yet you don't pay much attention to it as you rude the last bits of your strength to pull yourself up, your eyes watery from the smoke of burning insects, cobweb and fungus. Thankfully, just as your shoulders begin to give up, a hand grasps you by one shoulder and something sharp takes hold of your other part. As you get pulled up, your sight clears and you begin to cough out, as Quinn and Valor pull you out of the hole. As the smoke begins to come out, the wind drafts it out of the cave's entrance and you roll onto your back, coughing heavily. Somebody pours some water over your face and you recoil, surprised. As the smoke begins to clear out, you feel as if you have been run over by a cart, as all of the kicks and bites of the spiders finally begin to settle in, the adrenaline begins to fade out and you begin to hurt all over. 

"Derrick! Derrick, you good?" Quinn asks, as she leans over you, a concerned look on her face. She begins to take off your clothes and when she undoes your shirt, she winces and says. "That's a nasty bite there... feeling nauseous?"

You shake your head. Nothing unusual... yet.

"Was it worth it?" Shyvana asks as she sits next to you, obviously unbothered by the entire situation. "That burn on your right shoulder looks pretty bad, I hope you found something good."

Suddenly, somebody picks you up from behind and hugs you, as Lux slowly caresses your head. She opens her backpack and pulls out a little jar with some cream inside, which she then begins to rub over your bite and burn marks. You are a bit surprised by her sudden reaction and she says.

"You need to stop getting so hurt, Derrick... I don't want to lose you..." 

You nod and give her a small smile, which she returns with a tired sigh. "What did you find?"

You point at your backpack, where tot he side, you have tied up the ice helm which brought so much trouble onto you. The three women stare at it, confused and Shyvana chuckles. "A... A trinket? I burned up an entire cave for a trinket?"

Quinn shakes her head. "Spiders wouldn't gather in such a random place for no reason. The monsters here are smart, and they know where humans are most likely to go. This item must be of some importance... " She looks at it and adds. "Items made from ice usually have great significance to the Frejlordian people... And the fact that it survived for so long and so much without breaking makes me think it is made out of true ice... although how Derrick can hold it without dying is... unclear, to say the least."

"So we shouldn't bother it? If we touch that it could kill us?" Lux asks.

Shyvana and Quinn both nod. "It would be best not to play with fire... well, ice in this case. Let's leave it be with Derrick for now, as we know for sure he can handle it. We will look into it tomorrow. It is getting dark."

You all nod and Lux helps you to the campfire. Feeling like shit, the roast meat kind of raises your spirit as the moon slowly rises in the distance. As you go to sleep, the girls let you know that you don't have to stand watch if you are feeling too bad, but you take the first shift anyway. After a couple of minutes of standing by, somebody snuggles into you under your cloak and you see the blonde hair of Lux as she hugs you and falls asleep on your shoulder. With a little smile, you almost manage to forget about the terrifying nightmare you just lived through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, sorry for the big delay. I know some of you may have lost interest in this fanfic, however, work has been taking up most of my time recently and I haven't been able to sit down and write for a while. I usually spend around an hour or two a day writing for a bit, but due to the rushed nature of that sort of writing, I constantly had to rewrite parts of the chapter. It took me about two weeks to finish what I could have previously done in a day. Still, I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! Some Frejlord lore/events/chapters/everything will be coming up (soon I hope) and I am excited to get some more characters to meet up with our little group! Anyway, I hope there are still some of you left that follow this, and I hope you will be looking forward to the next one, whenever I manage to get it done! Until then, stay safe and have a great day!


	26. A Remedy in Sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After you escape the cave, the effects of the spider venom that got into you from that bite begin to effect you violently. In a desperate search for a cure to ease your travels, the group ends up locating the resting ground of a Frejlordian tribe, towards which you set foot, in search of remedy.

The days rolled past painfully and slowly for you. The burns you got back then aren't healing too well and are swollen up and look pretty bad. Not only that but according to Quinn, those spiders inject venom into their prey called "Frostvenom" which isn't that deadly by itself, but it is a strong drug that makes the mind trick itself into believing that the bod is really cold. What that means is that you end up feeling like it's freezing even if you are sweating from the temperature around you. It is neither pleasant nor manageable, as you spend the next couple of days after the incident shivering all the time, feeling as if your feet and hands are about to fall off and as if your entire body was dipped into the snow all around you. Why were you here again? Something about Demacia and diplomacy... Who cares, you just want to stop feeling like a frost troll... Still, Quinn reassures you that a well-known Frejlordian tribe has settled in the nearby area, a day or two away from your current location, the information given to her by Valour when he finally returned from his scouting mission. Even you have heard of them, the group led by one of the three self-proclaimed Queens of the Frejlord, Ashe, "The Frost Archer", an alias given to her because of her weapon of choice, an ice bow, apparently made from the same material like the helmet you have. They should have some form of antidote to this poison, right? And, you could also inquire about the helmet you found and it's origins. According to Shyvana and Quinn, only certain people could wield tools made out of True Ice, so understanding who made this helmet and who wore it before you could help with your lost past and understanding your roots. Still, there is quite a long way until you reach their encampment, and until then, you will have to endure the potent poison in your body, as it is mainly used to slow down stray pray of these Frost Spiders. As creatures affected by it usually start moving slower due to the illusion of coldness that the mind causes, the spiders manage to track and catch up to their food easily. As such, their venom has developed a long-lasting effect, which alchemists all over Runeterra are trying to recreate. An antidote for it does exist, however, it has to be extracted from the monsters themselves, and without proper potion-making gear (or experience for that matter), nobody of your little group could make it themselves. 

It is good, now that you think about it. The look for antivenom caused Quinn to send out Valour to do a more large-scaled search of the area, which led to the discovery of the nearby Frejlordian tribe. Lux is trying her best to warm you up and ease your suffering, but to no real avail, as not even her warm touch can dull the effects of the strong venom... Although you don't mind her being so close to you all the time, so much so, that every time she asks you whether she is helping, you give a positive answer, so she can hug you more. What? You enjoy cuddling... And in the past month, you haven't had enough time to spend together as well, so this was a welcome change. With or without Lux, however, the nights were the worst, as it was impossible to fall asleep. No matter what they tried, the team couldn't find a way to put you down. Shyvana even tried sleeping in the same sleeping bag as you to maximize the heat she gave off naturally, but it only resulted in you shivering in a cramped space with a heavy, sleeping dragon-lady on top of you. In the end, you only got about three to four hours of sleep every day or two, as you simply fainted out of exhaustion. However, due to the powerful toxin, your brain got a false alarm and after a while woke you up to save you from freezing to death, even though that wasn't a danger. And, as the days rolled by, you began to look like a bigger mess by the hour, with black pools under your eyes, chattering teeth, a scuffed up beard, and hair too long for your liking. None of that seemed to deter Lux from keeping close to you, which was one calming thought. She didn't mind the way you looked, as long as you stayed the same on the inside.

Still, being in such a shitty state shouldn't deter you from doing the tasks you have to. As your body isn't actually freezing and hindered by that, you can still do most of the work you could before. As you can't sleep anyway, you usually stand guard and wake someone up when you begin to feel dizzy, as that usually signals you won't be up for much longer. Also, you go out with Quinn and set up snares for some game every day before nightfall. You help Lux with cooking, as she is trying to learn to make meat well, and you have a decent amount of experience with it, as during your mercenary years you mainly ate from hunting animals and cooking them up. She is getting better by the day, which is a really pleasant sight. Ever since the two of you began to practice magic int e backyard of the mansion, you have noticed that she is a quick learner. A good trait. The girl is a real diamond in the rough. Considering how many malicious, treacherous, and good-for-nothing people they are, Lux has developed away from such standards and behaviors. Not only is she smart, but she is also pretty creative and open-minded too, both of which qualities everybody should be proud of. And, she is also always positive, trying to cheer you up, which is probably the biggest help out of everything the team has tried to make you feel better. Her small smile is enough to make your day, along with her loving look. Man, you fell for her, alright...

As yet another day passes, you finally stop for a little rest under a small grove of pines, covered ins now from top to bottom. Due to their sloped branches, they make a great natural shelter against wind and coldness, as they serve similarly to a wall in that regard. The snow covering them from the outside helps with isolations as well. A shelter you were thaught to make during your travels was to dig a hole under the branches of the pine tree, basically creating a little room underneath. That way, the tree protects you from the snow and the elements, while the ground and snow around you make for a great shelter, as they keep the heat in. Put some junk on the ground underneath, like some unused hide or cloth, and you have got yourself a pretty good temporary home! If you want and have the time to do so, you could also dig out a little fireplace in the side. It takes some time, but if you manage to make a little hole to act as a chimney and connect it to the main room, you could use it as a firepit. Since the temperature outside is pretty low, and the entire thing is surrounded in snow and ice, the chance of it crumbling down on itself because of the heat from the fire is low. The only thing that usually happens is that the snow begins to slowly melt around it, but that isn't something to be worried about. However, the snow isn't high enough for such a shelter where you are at, so your party settles for clearing out the ground under the trees, before using the cloth of the tent as a floor, where you set up the sleeping bags. Shyvana gets to gathering some wood for the fire, wearing her fur coat, to minimize the threat of being seen, as purple is rather flashy on a snowy background. Quinn and you go out to set some traps, but this time Lux tags along too, as she wanted to see how they are made.

As you make some decent distance from the temporary camp to ensure that animals will pass through here, the three of you begin searching for a place to set up the snares at. You quickly explained to Lux to look for natural game trails, which animals make by themselves. If she finds one, it is a good idea to check out where it comes from and where it goes to, as if there is a tight place somewhere, it would be ideal for a trap. Another important thing would be to take caution not to disturb the trail itself. Most animals have a keen smell to compensate for the vision they are lacking, so even a simple human touch on a part of their usual route will alert them and usually cause them to take an alternative path to their destination. That is why Quinn and yourself always coat the ropes you use for the snares in natural substances to mask the scent of the human touch. Using mud, pine resin, berries, or whatever else you find around, you can make a little past in which you dip the rope before setting it. And even when such a precaution is taken, some animals will still smell something and refuse to go near the snare unless there is some bait in play too. That is why Quinn always keeps some meat scraps or berries with her from the meals you all make and eat. It doesn't take long to find a game trail in such a wild territory and such undisturbed snow. Lux was the one to discover it, and she was really proud of her achievement, as according to her you skipped right past the trail when she, a newbie, spotted it easily. In truth, you saw the trail too but acted as if you had missed it so that she could feel good on her first day setting snares. You showed her the most basic of snares you could and how to set them up properly. Looking at the footprints dotted around the path here and there, you and Quinn agreed that it was both rabbits and maybe foxes going after them on this particular path. A small snare should do the trick, as neither of the two animals was particularly big.

After you showed her how you allowed Lux to set up the traps. She seemed to really enjoy it, despite it being difficult for her to tie the knot on some of them well. Still, she managed it well enough and as the three of you left, she was smiling happily and even kissed you on the cheek to show her gratitude for teaching her this while Quinn went to fetch something she forgot (in reality, she went back to check on the traps to make sure you wouldn't go hungry tomorrow if Lux had messed something up.)

As you got back to your camp, Shyvana had already set up the fire, and it was burning happily just outside of the shade of the tree. Not that it mattered to you, you would feel like shit either way. Still, seeing the three of them snuggle closer to the heat source, with smiles on their faces, glad to warm up... It does put a smile on your face. As it begins to darken, Lux and you begin to prepare the meat, as Shyvana and Quinn go to look at some maps, making a route for tomorrow. Valour has flown off somewhere, but you know he is never far away from Quinn, the two are inseparable. As you sit next to Lux, who is on her knees, preparing the food, she gives you a cute smile and says.

"Thank you for today. I learned a lot! Although I have to practice more..."

"N-n-no p-problem! Always hap-p-py to help-p-p." You manage to say in response, teeth chattering. Lux looks at you, sympathy in her eyes.

"It's not getting better, is it?" You shake your head. "Quinn said that it would take around two weeks for it to wear off. It has been around a day or two since you got bitten." Lux says with a sigh.

"I-It's okay. A-after all, you g-g-guys are h-helping me t-t-through it..." You mumble out.

"I have a suspicion nothing is working... My hugs, Shyvana-" She suddenly looks at you. "Hey, wait a minute. How come my hugs work but Shyvana being close doesn't? She is way warmer than me!" You look away.

"Uhhh..."

"Have you... Have you been using it as an excuse to cuddle?"

"..."

"Derrick, you do realize all you had to do was ask instead of acting all injured and sick, right?"

"H-hey, I a-am injured! And s-sick! You t-try j-j-j-jumping into a flaming hole full of p-p-poisonous spiders! A-also, I thought that I w-w-w-would have been a bother!"

"But... Where is the logic in that? You were taking up my time either way..."

"..."

"I could have been practicing my magic you know." You give her a berayed look, which makes her giggle. "If you had asked me to cuddle though, I would have come anytime! You are so warm... Like a big bear!"

Huh, that's a first...

"...You don't look too happy that I called you a bear... What's wrong? You do resemble one. You are big, muscular, scary to enemies, but also cuddly, kind, and caring towards me and the others!"

"I-I-I d-don't think bears a-are c-c-cuddly..."

"Well, this one is!" She says with a smile, before suddenly giving you a tight hug. You chuckle and return the hug, making her give a little 'eep!' as you squeeze her. 

"C'mon... T-the m-m-meat will b-b-burn." You say and push her away.

"Alright..." She says, a bit disappointed. "I hope we find a normal place to stay soon... I miss my comfortable old life. I want to spend more time with you, Derrick! Without having to care about some new wound you got." She suddenly gets pretty sad. "I... Please, I have asked you this many times, but please take care of yourself. I don't want you to die... I can't even imagine what would happen if you left me! My family would marry me off to some random Demacian prick who thinks he is all high and mighty, with whom I will have to then have kids-" She banters off, but you don't listen, as your mind is trying to cope with the fact that no matter what happens, Lux will have to marry somebody else in the end. There is no way a Crownguard can marry a bastard mercenary with no honor, land, money, or fame. Hell, you don't even know who you really are. You have no home, no relatives, and the only friends you have are all Demacian... From which you have been banished for open use of magic... Fuck.

"...Derrick! Derrick! Are you even listening?" Lux suddenly snaps you back to reality and you shake your head, before looking at her, confused.

"S-sorry, the venom is m-m-making me d-dizzy. I am f-f-frequently spacing o-out..." Lux sighs and says.

"Yeah, I guess it must be really hard for you... Sorry I made you listen to me ramble on about nothing important..."

"N-no, it's al-alright. I l-love hearing your v-voice."

She smiles as she pulls out the now ready meat and hands one piece to you. "Aww, that's sweet. Now, here. eat a bit, tomorrow, we will get you to the Frejlordians and they will fix you right back up!"

"L-l-let's hop-pe s-so..." You mumble out, as Quinn and Shyvana come over, smiling, as the four of you sit down to eat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter after a long wait. However, I am about to make it up to you guys, as this week I have a ton of time and I will try to write something as often as possible! So, expect this fanfic to get frequent updates! As always, I hope you liked this chapter and if you have any tips on how to improve my writing, I would love to hear them! Have a great day and stay safe!


	27. The True Form of the Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As you wait for Quinn and Lux to properly meet up with the Frejlordians before introducing you two, the wirder part of your group, you get some private time with Shyvana, in which you discover that she is a lot more than a cheerful dragon lady who doesn't have much cares in the world.

The following day, you wake up after what you can only describe as way too little sleep, and as Shyvana shuffles you awake, you groan and force your worn-out body out of the warm sleeping bag... Well, what you assume would be a warm bag if you weren't so sick. At first, you were up for sitting the venom out while the effects lessen, however, Quinn told you the rather chilling information that the poison usually goes on for about half a month, and at the end, your nerves begin to get damaged by the strong effects, meaning you could suffer some permanent damage if you leave it untreated. That is why as you pack up, you immediately head in the direction of the last confirmed location of the Frejlordian tribe of Ashe, one of the three self-proclaimed Queens of the Frejlord. From what you know about the other two, which isn't that much, one is named Sejuani and the other is named Lissandra. The first is famous for her mace made out of True Ice and the fact that she rides a beast into battle, while the second is known for her adept usage of True Ice magic. The information you have on these three is scarce, but the general opinion of the tribes is that Ashe's the on that wants to unify the Frejlord under one rule, Sejuani's are more like raiders, hitting different villages of different kingdoms to live while Lissandras people are more of a cult, praising her like a saint and travelling the frozen wastes. You are glad that of the three, Valour was certain he saw The Ice Archer's banner. You aren't in the mood of being robbed or falling into some weird ritual of cleansing in some weirdos house.

As you pass by the game trail where you set up the trap yesterday, Lux goes to check on it, excited but comes back a bit disappointed. She showed you the snare and you notice that it has been torn apart by something. Man, this is like the fifth time this happens! What kind of mutated beasts roam these lands that can chew through a frozen rope? You sigh and hand the rope to Quinn, in order for her to reuse it potentially. Still, you have some scraps of food lying around in your packs that you have kept for emergencies after such an event occurred for the first time. As you grab the strains of your horse, you begin to pull them through the knee-deep snow. Good thing is, your horses are a special breed for the snow, their legs covered in thick fur to keep them from freezing, while more of the same fur covers their back, head and neck. At least you don't have to deal with your mounts dying from hypothermia or something of the sort.

After about an hour or two, smoke columns begin to become visible as you get closer and closer to the encampment. You have a weird feeling in your gut, the type that warns you to stay on high alert. You just hope you get what you want and... hold up.

"H-hey Lux?"

"Yeah? What's up, Derrick?"

"W-why were w-we all t-t-the way out h-here in the f-first place?" You ask, teeth chattering.

"Well, The King asked us to try to establish an alliance with the Frejlordians. His Majesty would have liked for us to come to terms with Queen Ashe the most, but in the off chance negotiations failed, he can settle for one of the other two Queens too."

"G-goddamit. I just w-want t-t-to get out of this f-f-frozen waste... And we h-have to stay for n-negotiations?" You groan as you slow down to come next to her.

"Well, yeah? That WAS our mission from the start, right? Demacia is weak, currently, and those rebellions shook it from the inside as well. It is desperate for allies..." She shakes her head. "Let's just hope the Frejlordians don't realize that, or their terms will be outrageous."

Quinn turns around, apparently listening to your conversation. "They will likely know of it. Frejlordians may be a bit primitive, but they are not dumb. Because they know how much information is worth, they are willing to trade for it with whichever group gives them the most. And since Frejlord is rich in precious resources that nobody really exploits, spies and moles from various organisation trade with their scouts on the borders, snagging a bit of loot on the side of their usual jobs." She sighs and carries on. "I expect a really tough negotiation, even if we are talking with Queen Ashe." She suddenly snaps at you. "And no bullshit Derrick! I don't want your loose mouth to get us thrown out. Be respectful, use the proper language and don't act tough."

Your mouth opens in surprise. "L-loose mouth? W-w-when have I said s-something bad?"

Lux giggles. "Well, you kind of have this habit of talking to everybody as if they are a friend of yours. You swear in front of them, use informal language and ignore all titles... I don't think I have heard you use things like 'Your Majesty' or 'Your Highness' ever."

"That's b-because they are a d-d-dumb way of talking to s-somebody."

Quinn sighs and rubs her forehead, before saying. "Just... Just keep quiet, alright? Only talk when asked to."

You are a bit offended, but you nod with a sigh and say "Understood..."

Soon, you finally begin to see some tents in the distance, right next to a river. What you also see is a multitude of patrols walking around, with more probably hiding in the forests nearby the settlement. Still, if you don't act suspicious, they shouldn't attack you... at least that is what your team agrees on. As they were the most... 'regular' out of the group, Lux and Quinn decided to go at it alone, in order to notify the patrols of your coming. When ready, Valour would bring you and Shyvana a signal and the two of you will come down as well. As the two leave, you and the half-dragon take a seat under a pine tree. As you sit there, Shyvana begins to poke the ground with a nearby stick, but you have the feeling she is avoiding eye contact...

"I-Is everything a-a-alright?"

"...Yeah, why?"

"Y-You aren't your u-usual s-s-self."

"How so?"

"W-W-Well, you are usually c-c-chatty, b-but you have b-been eerily s-s-silent..."

"...Huh, I guess you are right... Well, let me ask you a question. Are you mad at me?"

"...What?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"...No? W-w-why would I be?"

"Because... All of those burns you got are because of me... I couldn't control myself, my real self, the dragon, and now you are hurt."

"...Y-You do realize that I would have b-been dead n-now if not for y-y-you?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"No 'but', I w-w-would have been spider f-food. You c-can't b-blame yourself for a g-g-good deed!" You say in a bit of a raised tone.

Shyvana looks at you, a bit pissed off. "Oh yeah? Well, you have no idea how much it hurts to see all of those burn marks on you every time you change clothes! Have you ever seen somebody you love suffer because of your actions?"

"W-w-well, I have seen enough suffering t-to know what i-i-intentional harm means!"

"Is that so? How about unintentional harm? Have you ever caused anything bad to happen to somebody else? Because..." she looks away. "Shit! Because I have been doing that throughout my entire life. First my parents, then my friends, now you?" She throws the stick at the snow nearby. "I hate it! I can't do good without doing the same amount of bad in return!"

"W-what the hell are you s-saying? H-How can you even think that w-w-when so many people will d-d-define you as one of their c-c-closest friends?" 

"Yeah, and so many others see me as a monster, halfling, and so much more..." You notice that whenever she gets mad, she gets hotter... warmer would be a better word here... Maybe... "I am sorry for shouting like that... I just had to vent at somebody, you know? I guess what I am trying to say is I am sorry for the burns..."

You chuckle "A w-w-weird way to say s-s-sorry, don't you t-think?" You expect a punch in the shoulder or a quip, but Shyvana doesn't answer, hugging her legs and looking away. his must have affected her more than you thought. Who could tell that under the fun, cheerful and strong dragon-lady was a woman who was going through so much pressure just because of her origins? You guess that is normal if she lived in Demacia until now. You edge yourself closer to her and give her a little hug with your left arm.

"Hey... D-don't blame yourself f-f-for such t-things! I..." You sigh "I k-know what it is l-like to feel p-p-powerless, to b-b-blame yourself f-f-for things out of y-y-your control."

Shyvana raises one eyebrow. "...You do? I thought mercenaries didn't care about such things..."

You shake your head. "I wasn't a-a-always a mercenary, y-you know. After I l-left, I w-wanted to find a n-n-normal life. I had a wife you know? And a l-little daughter t-too."

This obviously shocks Shyvana as she snaps her head towards you, eyes wide. "Y-You did? You are like twenty-something, right? Quite young for a parent... Where are they-" She stops mid-sentence and her eyes get sad. "No way..."

You nod slowly, looking out at the mountain in front of you. "She was I-I-Ionian... A m-mix between a b-b-bird and a h-human. Their race had a name, but I n-never managed to remember it... We l-lived there as well... I-In a little village t-t-to the south. It was a-a-all good until N-Noxians decided to attempt a raid on the Ionian c-community there." You stop for a second and look up towards the sky. "I-I was out g-getting l-l-logs when they a-attacked. I saw the army f-from the f-f-forest. I couldn't r-reach t-the village in t-t-time... I r-rushed straight down there, b-but I shouldn't h-have. I g-g-got there j-just in time to see my f-family massacred in f-front of me. A Noxian m-man with a b-b-big axe just c-cut through my Trika... My b-beloved T-Trika... She c-couldn't even f-fight back... Such a c-cowardly m-move." Your fists tighten as you punch the ground next to you. "Then, just as if nothing had happened, he turned towards my girl... And swung again. At a child. At a fucking child." Your stuttering is completely gone, your hands begin to shake in anger at the sheer thought. "I... I completely tore the man up... I threw my axe at him, lodged it into his shoulder and as he fell to one knee, I began to punch him and punch and punch and punch and punch. At some point, I must have reached out for a rock, because when I came back to my senses, he... his head was completely gone. He was unrecognizable. I-" You sigh as you calm yourself down and carry on. "I don't know what happened to me then... But ever since that day, I have grieved over the fact I stood there while my family got slaughtered. I couldn't do anything about it... Yet it happened. It was not my fault, yet I feel like it was. Later..." You suddenly feel your eyes watering. "I had to flee the battle, however. The village was lost and Noxians were all over it. I went against everything inside me and ran for my life... Later, I came back, of course... And I found them back where I left them, in the street, murdered like dogs. I... I buried them. At their favourite spot near the nearby river, before I left for Noxus to demand an explanation for the reason their soldiers slaughtered women and children when nothing in their rules told them to do so. I know this well because I served under them for a while." You look back at her and finish. "All I got was the explanation that they were rogue soldiers, who had fled from their ranks and taken to raiding. As compensation, I got a bag of coins... A bag of coins for my child and my wife."

"..."

"So yeah, I-I-I h-have some idea of w-w-what it's like f-f-for life to be unfair t-to you." You carry on. "Yet I e-e-endured it and w-w-went on. I met L-Lux, Garen, Q-Quinn, yourself, and p-probably more p-p-people to meet in the future a-as well. Letting go of m-m-memories like that, of events t-t-that weren't in your control, I b-believe that it is the b-best way to deal with them."

"I... I am sorry. I shouldn't have been selfish. Getting worked up over such a small thing..."

"N-No. You d-d-don't have it easy either. B-being anything different f-f-from a normal human in D-D-Demacia is not easy. B-but please, feel free to s-share with me, o-o-or anybody else for that m-m-matter. You are not alone..."

"...Thank you, Derrick. I will try to be more like you. How have you gone through so much and you have come out like such a great guy is unimaginable to me..." 

You chuckle. "I g-guess that I am quite e-e-enduring."

"Yup. Not only enduring too..." She mumbles as she looks towards the Frejlordian encampment. "Look, Lux and Quinn have reached the patrols. Let's hope nothing bad happens."

You edge towards the edge of the hill and see that the two women are talking with the Frejlordians there. After a while, Quinn makes a motion and Valour begins to fly towards you. You nod to Shyvana and as you get up to go, she suddenly pulls you closer for a little hug.

"Sorry... I just wanted to make sure I am really not alone... and thank you for that. I needed to vent out to somebody who could understand me properly." She then gives you a bit of a pouty look. "I am kinda jealous of Lux, to be honest..." 

You blush slightly, chuckling and answer. "I think she is also jealous of you..." Before getting up, picking up all of your equipment, before you take the reigns of two horses, as you begin to walk down the hill, dragging them behind you. Let's hope that these people are truly friendly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a bit of a weird one. Still, I feel like Shyvana was left out in the past couple of chapters, so I decided to do her some justice. I am guessing it is only normal for a half-dragon to have gone through a lot of injustice in her life. Plus, now Derrick and Shyvana are closer, which is always good! Expect some interesting development in the next chapters. Until then, I hope you guys have a great time and stay safe!


	28. A Fight to Die For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally reach Queen Ashe's domain and are welcomed into her camp to commence negotiations for the possible alliance between the two nations. However, things do not go exactly as planned as your masterful diplomacy skills lead you to a face-off with the Barbarian King himself.

As the cold wind howled against your face, you and Shyvana made your slow descent along the hill, going diagonally to avoid falling and sliding down. Not that it wouldn't be fun, but you prefer the inside of your clothes snowless, and your bones unbroken from hidden rocks, which were a common occurrence in this part of the world. Sometimes it felt as if some massive meteor crashed into tiny pieces right over Frejlord and they scattered all over it. The rocky terrain made it hard for you to move on your horses too, as the risk of them spraining or even breaking an ankle was extremely high in such high snow. That left you all with the painfully slow and tiring option of walking around on foot, manually checking for any such dangers. Quinn and Lux were the ones usually riding on the horses, as Shyvana and yourself were the most enduring of all and could take the gruelling task of wading through the knee-deep snow. It didn't mean it was easy or a pleasant task, however, and your legs hurt so much from the exhaustion that every move caused jolts of discomfort to shoot up your tighs. The Dragon Lady didn't seem to mind it at all, yet for some reason, she always ended up resting on one of the horses when Quinn had had enough of sitting and wanted to walk for a bit. You were just glad that the two women were the ones who took the night shifts because otherwise, you most likely wouldn't live to see out of this snowy hell. Of course, you gave them a hand when needed, but most of the nights were spent resting your tired body. 

Yet even that wasn't enough for you to completely recover, so the small trek down to where your companions were standing felt agonizing. Add to that the fact that the ice-venom was making it all worse, and the sight of you must have made the Frejlordian man wince.

"What's up? You three getting along?" Shyvana asked Quinn and Lux, who were waiting next to a bearded warrior who was carrying a big spear. His beard hid most of his face, and his long hair covered his head. Somehow, he was half-naked yet seemingly unaffected by the cold. You were unsure whether the massive amount of chest hair he had compensated for his lack of clothing though. Still, through all that, his buff physique was clearly visible. As expected, the men from here weren't people you wanted to mess with. Standing over a head taller than all of you, he shook his head at the sight of you.

"Ice-Venom, just like you said. He must be pretty tough to live for so long out there while afflicted. And here I thought all men from the sound were good-for-nothings who only knew how to shout and spin around mindlessly with a sword."

Lux pointed at the nearby tents that were stretching far and wide. "We got lucky, everybody. That's Queen Ashe's encampment there, and Her Majesty agreed to hear us out. Or at least help you out, if she doesn't like our terms."

"T-Thank the g-g-gods. I have been f-feeling worse and worse." You mutter out and bow your head to the native. "My t-thanks."

The man laughed out loud and shook his head. "No need to thank me, I haven't done anything." He then furrowed his brow. "Also, do not bow your head here, friend. We do not do that here, some may take it as a mockery, even."

"Thank you for the warning, brother. We will keep that in mind. Now then, let's make haste towards the Queen before Derrick here passes out." Quinn said and your small group hastily made their way along the snowy path and into the wooden walls that surrounded the encampment.

As soon as you entered, a flock of warriors surrounded you and you were quickly ushered through the huge amount of tents and campfires that surrounded you. Maybe it was the lack of horses, maybe it was the strong smell of nature all around you or some magical power, but the stench that usually accompanied such places, the mixture of horse faeces, unwashed people and uncleaned housings was absent. A pleasant surprise, as one of the things you didn't really miss from your past merc life, was the awful smell that usually floated around you on your journeys. A sellsword cares for gold. Hygiene comes next. As you were walked to the massive tent in the middle of the encampment. On the way there, one of what appeared to be a group of young boys still in training threw you a bottle with some liquid in it. He motioned you to drink it, so after giving it a little sniff, you gulped it down. Although the drink was sour, it was hot. Burning, even.

"What the hell is this?" You ask, coughing and scratching at your throat.

"Antidote. If it burns, it means it's working. You'll be fine in ten minutes or so." One man answered as you came face to face with the guards in front of the Queen's tent. After a quick exchange of orders, your envoy quickly scattered and the two mean looking men escorted you in. Hoping there weren't some traditions you didn't know about, you walked into the spacious living quarters of the self-proclaimed ruler. Quinn suddenly turned around and gave you a wide-eyed glare, before nodding in your direction. What was going on? You raised an eyebrow and she tapped her hip with her finger. Was your belt ripped or falling off? You looked down to quickly find that all was well, you sword safely tucked away in your belt. Smiling, you gave her a thumbs up, however, she seemed to get even more cross. Before she could speak up, however, a woman's voice said. "Welcome, travellers. I hope you haven't found our land too hostile. Frejlord doesn't take kindly to strangers, but it loves the people it knows."

Quinn had said something about only one person speaking as to avoid any mistakes, so you looked around, before going forward with your straight face on, ready to claim this alliance for Demacia.

"No, you bloody idiot!" Somebody hissed from behind, but before you could react, one of the most muscular men you have ever seen suddenly stepped right in front of you. Standing over a head taller than you, with a long beard, fashioned in the typical Frejlordian style, he towered over you menacingly. A bit confused, you took a small step backwards, just to feel the hand of one of the guards on your shoulder. You furrowed your brows and took a look behind you, just to see Quinn with a defeated expression on her face, as Shyvana and Lux looked at you disappointed.

"Is something the matter?" You ask, trying to stay polite.

"He has the audacity to even ask." The man said, before turning back to the Queen. "Your Majesty, shall I execute this man for this grave offence?"

Your eyes widen in surprise, but before you can say anything, the Queen speaks, a bit taken aback. "Hold on. Let's not be too hasty. Foreigner, what is your name?"

You clear your throat and say. "That would be Derrick, Your Majesty."

"Are our societies so distant and separated that you know nothing of our traditions and culture? Have we really lost our touch with the other nations?"

"Well, I am not Demacian myself. I have travelled a lot, however, I have never been to the upper parts of Runeterra." You hear another facepalm behind you. Your words seem to anger the man even more.

"So, those dancing warriors in white shining armour send some random nobody to discuss with our Queen?" He suddenly gave out a roar and shouted in your face. "The audacity!"

The Queen seemed to be a bit more patient and asked. "Why are you here then? Our guardsmen informed her that a group of Demacian diplomats came to discuss the terms of a potential alliance, yet I see no diplomat here. Have you lied to me?"

You shake your head. "Of course not, Your Highness. While I may not be a part of the high aristocracy of the nation, I am closely connected to the lovely Lady over there." You say, motioning over to Lux, who looks up, flustered. Were your diplomacy skills that bad? "You see, she is the daughter of the Crownguard family, a... clan, in a way, that is set on protecting the Demacian leaders, hence the name. I am her personal guard."

"Then why do you speak in her fast?" Ashe asked. You blink, confused, but realize you have no apparent answer. Searching for words, you suddenly blurt out. "B-Because..." Suddenly, your eyes light up. "Because! Because I wanted to thank Your Majesty for the hospitality and that antivenom you so graciously gave me! It was never my intention to discuss anything. I am but a warrior!"

"Ah, I see. Sorry for the misunderstanding then, Derrick. And so you know, weapons can only be wielded by the Queen's closest allies in her presence. So please, give that longsword to the guards."

"Of course, Your Majesty." You say with a dumb smile on your face, glad to have talked your way out of this one. Turning around, you expect to see the relieved faces of your comrades, but instead come face to face with the angry face of Quinn, the terrified face of Lux and the disappointed face of Shyvana. You can basically feel the warrior looming over you. What did you do badly?.... Oh right, courtesies.

"As I said, thank you again, for your hospitality!" You say as you turn around and bow down to show your respect, proud of your social skills. Instead of whatever you expected to happen, you hear a moan come out of the lips of the three women as one of the strongest grips you have ever felt grasped your wrist and yanked you out of the tent.

"What the hell? What are you doing?" You asked as the big man yanked you towards one end of the camp using only his right hand. You can only hear his murmurs of rage as he pulls you through the camp. The sight makes many of the camp followers chuckle and laugh, while some of them gave you looks of pity which you did not like.

"That's it for him..." You hear a woman murmur. Uh oh...

"It's his fault for not learning the proper etiquette." Another housewife answered.

"Yeah, but what a stroke of bad luck, right? No battle for months, Lord Tryndamyre is bound to be itchy for a fight."

"Now that you mention it, he was trying to get other men to duel him all day yesterday, no?"

"Yup. and he has finally found his playtoy. I hope the Gods will bless his soul when he arrives."

A bit dizzy from what you just heard, you almost fail to notice that you arrived at the edge of the encampment, where a small arena was set up. The man threw you in with his right hand only, which would have greatly surprised you if you weren't so worried about your life. "What the hell did I do now?" You shout out to nobody in particular, as the man was nowhere to be seen.

Nobody answered you, as the crowd that had gathered to watch you was getting thicker. "Hey, dead-man! You may want to use this!" Somebody shouted and as you looked up, the guard from the Queen's tent threw you your longsword. You caught it in the air and turned around just in time to see the other man, apparently called Tryndamere jump in the pit. He was wearing almost nothing, besides some armour on his feet and a shoulder-guard. A helmet under his left hand, and a massive sword in his right, he pointed at you.

"Foreigner! You insulted our Queen and our culture, and for that, you shall be judged. By me." He said, putting on his helmet. You groan and take a step back, taking a battle stance.

"Fuck me... I am guessing your culture also doesn't tolerate settling things without bloodshed, right?"

The man laughed and said. "See, you are already learning. Now let's see what southern boys are made out of!"

Wasting no time, the man suddenly began to run towards you, his massive sword in his right hand, dragging along the rock-hard, frozen, dirt floor of the arena, leaving a trail behind him. Was he going to use one hand for that huge chunk of metal? You take a more mobile stance, legs bent lower and holding your sword with just your right hand, letting it rest on the ground. No way you are blocking that without sustaining injuries to yourself or to your weapon. Judging by the size of his word, he couldn't be moving really fast, so-

You are suddenly cut off as the blade slashes at you with lighting fast speed, cutting a deep gash in your clothes. What the hell? How did he swing that so fast? You have no time to think, as the blade swirls around the man's body as he utilizes its weight to keep his momentum going, spinning around instead of bothering to stop and swing again. He was like an angry tornado, spinning and slashing. By the time you finally get out of his range, your clothes are nothing more than rags tattering on your body, with blood seeping from most cuts his massive blade caused.

Breathing heavily, you look up, blood flowing down your temple from a cut on the side of your forehead. This is bad, but keeping such a pace up for so long must have surely taken its toll on the big Northman. To your dismay, he seemed completely fine, a bloodthirsty smile on his face. 

"How many push-ups do you do with that right arm, huh?" You call out to him, trying to buy some time. Maybe he was the self-loving type and would begin to talk? Many strong warriors had that side to them. 

"More than the time you have left on this realm." He answered calmly and with a chuckle. That was bad, was he giving you some time to rest so that the fight wouldn't end too quickly? Maybe you could piss him off and get him to make a mistake...

"I am honestly surprised you people can even count past ten." You shout at him.

"I don't need to be able to count past ten to tell you how many minutes you will last against me."

That didn't seem to do much besides make some people in the crowd chuckle at you. Looks like there is no easy way past this guy. You ready up your sword and steady your feet, which draws a chuckle from the man. "Glad we are done talking. Now let's carry on, shall we?" Before he rushes at you again, just as fast as before.

You dodge and roll around, and dodge again, then shove off a blow with your sword, then dodge again. It's a game of cat and mouse, and you're the critter. It's only a matter of time before that piece of sharp metal cuts you in half, you suddenly realize. Sweat mixed with drops of blood fall off your head as yet another cut makes itself at home on your chest. You cannot keep this up. Think, think, think...

A person completely invested in offence lacked direct defence. You had to turn on hin, take the lead. Even if he could move that sword fast, it was still bigger than yours, which would make it that much harder to block or dodge. While he may be strong, you doubt even Tryndamere can roll or dodge with such a metal slab in his hand. It's either that or die.

You wait patiently and as soon as his next attack leaves yet another cut on your arm, you step in, smashing your fist into the man's face. His helmet doesn't cover it well, so you send him back a couple of steps, blood gushing from his nose. That seems to breathe life into the bored crowd, as many of them gave out a yelp at the sudden hit. Must be something that doesn't happen often. The man gave you a bloody smile and said: "Now we're talking!", before coming right at you again with a side sweep.

You decide to take the risk and smash your foot down on top of his sword, flooring the big piece of metal on the ground. which gives you another opportunity. You don't have enough room for a swing or a stab with a sword of your calibre, but you use the opening to drive your knee into the man's guts, before throwing your sword to the side and landing another hook and an uppercut on his face. As you jump and roll away, back to your sword, you see the man smiling a bloody smile as he roared and rushed towards you again. 

This time, he begins a relentless attack which you fail to dodge. A multitude of small cuts find their place on your body and you get pushed back to the wall of the pit. How was he so mobile? With all that armour... Wait, that's it, he is wearing only armour. And although cut up, the furs on you are still weighing you down a ton. You block the next hit with the broadside of your sword, which makes your entire body shake from the impact, and you turn the block into an upward slash, leaving a red gash on the chest of Tryndamere. Jumping away, you pull out your pocket knife and drive it through what's left of the tatters that held your furs together. As they fell to the ground, the chill washed all over you, but the sheer amount of weight that came off of your shoulders was like a breath of fresh air. 

"Manning up I see!" The warrior shouted at you, as he rushed at you again. However, you found it way easier to dodge and counter his moves now, as nothing was obstructing your body from moving as you wanted it to. You got a couple of cuts in as well, and after what felt like an hour you finally backed off from the big man, your legs shaking.

Yet the man was unflinching. He was like an undestroyable monster. The sheer feel of superiority he gave out almost made you fall to your knees, drop your sword and give up. One leg gave in and you fell to one knee, coughing violently. The cold air had made your lungs and throat burn up. Your vision fading, you looked up at the crowd. A mess of faces, all screaming and shouting encouragements towards the apparent winner. Every muscle in you burned from exhaustion as your body trembled from the rushes of adrenaline that washed over you like hot waves of water. You looked up once more as the man eyed you down. Suddenly, you recognized some of the faces in the crowd. On a raised platform stood a white-haired woman. Queen Ashe. Underneath her were seated three women.

Quinn looked pretty disturbed and worried. The two of you had a lovely time together. She was cool to hang around with and you both learned a lot from each other. She was similar to a big sister, in a way. And you were like a little brother, as she told you before. And you didn't want her to lose yet another family member. Next to her, you saw the purple skin of Shyvana as she was... shouting something at you? Encouragements? You enjoyed the time you spent together with her as well. She was like a little sister to you, as the two of you constantly quipped at one another, but also trained and fought, keeping your skills honed. She wouldn't have a sparring partner if you were to give up. And finally, you saw the teary face of Lux, looking straight at you, her hands clasped together, light flowing through them. She must be pretty worried. And the thought of leaving the woman you grew to love alone made something inside of you growl angrily. Not today, not without a fight.

"Giving up, boy? That fire you showed us already died?" Tryndamere asked, walking towards you, sword raised in his hand.

"Not yet, you big bastard!" You shout, getting to your feet. However, you fell again, your legs wobbly both from exhaustion and blood loss. What the hell? Was your body simply unable to go on? "Really now?" The man said as he towered over you.

"S-shit..."

"I congratulate you. For not giving up. You really aren't like those weaklings in the south. But there is always somebody stronger-"

Using your last drop of energy, you suddenly thrust forward, stabbing Tryndamere in the chest, right in the middle with your sword. He took a step backwards, blood rushing out from his wound. With a tired smile, you look up: "Seems like I was that somebody today-"

The glowing red eyes of the man and the fire-like energy that radiated from him wiped your grin straight off, as he smiled and pulled your sword out of his chest. "I beg to differ, boy."

As one of the strongest punches you have ever taken smashed into your face, the world faded to black and you drifted out of consciousness, the shouts of the crowd all around you muffling, getting lower and lower, until only a weird humming could be heard ringing out in your ears from somewhere in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am back. Probably. I am really sorry for the long wait, I have no excuse other than a mix of laziness and lack of time to write anything. I hope this new chapter will set the ball rolling and I will be able to add more and more chapters to keep this story going. For all of you who read this, thank you for staying for so long. I truly appreciate it! As always, please let me know if there is something I can improve in the comments or if you have any suggestions, feel free to tell me as well! I would love to read them! Other than that, make sure to stay safe as COVID is a bitch, as I learned from personal experience, and keep your loved ones and close friends safe! See ya at the next one!


	29. The Pride of Men

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waking up a couple of days following the recent duel, you spend some time talking to queen Ashe before finally reuniting with your group. Hopefully, your small talk tilts the sides of the upcoming final negotiation into your favor.

The dark shroud of unconsciousness slowly lifts itself from your eyes as you awake in some tent. The smell of different ointments lingers in the air, mixed in with the usual scent of burning wood that accompanied most camps. However, the thing you immediately notice is the pulsating pain that hits you straight in the face. That punch surely left a mark. With nobody around, you can't ask why you are alive or how many days you've been out. You get up to your feet with a groan, as the world spins around for a bit, before taking hold of the edge of the bed to keep yourself from falling. The chill of the north air covers you quickly, but after looking around, you find a set of fur clothing, tied up in a bunch, presumably for you. They seem to fit quite nicely and are most likely good insulation. Your sword is hanging on a stud on the nearby wall, so you quickly gear up, before deciding on what to do next. Picking up a nearby empty silver plate, you check out your face in the reflective surface. Wincing, you notice your red, swollen nose, obviously still recovering from the smashing punch your face suffered. Still, the only real mark that it had left was a cut-like wound on the bridge. Lord Tryndamere probably managed to break your nose and the bone must have cut through your flesh. Frejloordian medics must know their field, however, as it doesn't look any different from before besides the newly formed wound. A nasty situation was, thankfully, avoided. You shudder at the thought of the Frejlordian wearing armored gauntlets at your duel. The punch you suffered would have been lethal.

Still, the many bandages you saw on your body before dressing up meant more scars to look at in the future. Unsure as to how many more beatings like this one you could take, you stumble out of the tent onto the ankle-deep snow outside. You were still in Queen Ashe's encampment, however, the location seemed to be different than before. The foresty mountain you saw the last time you were awake was now way off in the distance. You must have moved while you were out. At least nobody left you out to rot in the snow. The tent of the Queen wasn't that far away, as the big sloped roof that it had was visible from every part of the encampment. Tugging your gloved hands into your coat to keep them from freezing in the icy wind, you walk off to pay her a visit. The girls were likely to be there as well, and you wanted to inquire about the state your diplomatic mission was in, and whether you had any task set out for you.

As you passed by the rows of smaller tents, people gave you different looks than before. Your battle must have had at least some positive effect. Some even waved at you and shouted a Frejlordian greeting or two. It had an odd, warming effect on you, and by the time you finally reached Her Majesty's home you had a little smile on your tired, beaten-up face. In front, you saw different guards from those that had been there Ashe last time, and as you hand over your sword and dagger to the men, you do not fail to notice that these ones are just as menacing as their brothers from before.

As you enter the warm inside of the tent, you find yourself in the middle of a heated debate. Not willing to disturb the negotiations, as from what you could gather it was concerning the possible alliance and further hindrance would not be too beneficial, you slip by the side of the tent and take a seat near the roaring fire in the fireplace. Grabbing a stick of roasted meat and sinking your teeth into the tasty food, you prepare for a bit of waiting. Looking at the Queen, as she sternly talks and negotiates with her council, you realize why she managed to gather so many of the Frejlordians behind her back. Ashe had the aura of a confident leader, one that could lead you valiantly into a battle and, more importantly, win decisively. After around half an hour, the council party finally seems to be done for the day and as the men take their leave, the queen walks over to her throne with a sigh. You feel some empathy towards her, being in constant meetings must definitely take its toll. Leaving her some time to gather her bearings must be a good idea, so you wait until you finish your meat, before walking up towards the Queen.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. I hope I am not intruding."

Ashe looks up at you, obviously a bit surprised but quickly composes herself and gives you a small smile. "Oh! Greetings, Crownguard. You seem to have recovered faster than we suspected." She comes down from her throne and walks over to you, putting her hand on your shoulder. She is a bit shorter than you, but you actually feel small next to one of the three Queens of Frejlord. "I congratulate you on your fight."

"Congratulate me? I-I mean, my thanks, Your Highness. But I am afraid I do not deserve it. I remember losing that one. Quite... painfully." You say, rubbing your nose.

Ashe shakes her head, however, and says. "You are alive, yes? That means that against my husband, and for him too, it counts as a win. Not many can brag about the fact they provoked The Barbarian King into his Immortal Rage... Well, most who do it can't brag because they are dead."

You look at her, confused, before it clicks. "Your Majesty... The stories of a Frejlordian who cannot die are true? And he is your husband?"

"Well, I think you discovered the answer by yourself a few days ago." Ashe turns back around and exits the tent through the back. "Follow me, Crownguard."

You stumble outside, trying your best to be swift, as the jolts of pain that followed from almost half a month of walking through knee-deep snow shoot up your legs. You wince, but gather your bearings and walk over to the white-haired woman. She doesn't seem to notice your struggle for now and waits for you to catch up to her, before beginning to walk forward along one path through the camp a bit too fast for your liking. Still, you struggle behind her and the two of you make your way through the settlement.

After a while, you exit the camp and head for the woods. You have no clue why the Queen is bringing you there, but your legs are beginning to shake from the effort. 

"You seem to be having trouble keeping up." Ashe suddenly says and turns towards you, seemingly unbothered by all the walking. You, on the other hand, are sweaty and panting.

"Well..." You say, in between heavy breathing. "I'm still tired from all the walking. Plus I am also exhausted from the recent fight..."

"And why did you not mention anything?"

"...Because..." You look at her and see judging eyes. "...I reckon I can take it."

Ashe sighs and shakes her head. "Men and their pride. Seems like Frejlordians are not the only ones who value it more than most other things." She comes closer and crouches next to you. "I am trying to teach this to my people. Tryndamere especially. Sometimes I feel like this ability of his comes solely from the sheer unwillingness he has against losing."

The Queen sits down and pats the snow next to her. "Yet people... Warriors especially, seem to value their image more than themselves. I have seen men go to great extents simply to gain glory. People lose limbs to blade and frostbite, beast and man, but it all seems worth it if it brings along a story you can tell around the campfire that will make your friends shiver."

You look at her confused, and see... sadness in her eyes? Did she want something? After pondering for a bit, you carefully ask her. "...I am sorry, Your Highness, but why are you telling me this?"

She looks to the side and says. "You are clever, Derrick. From what I have heard, a good man as well. And you are part of the same group that I just described. Why else would you go against Tryndamere with such ferocity and boldness, instead of cowering in fear behind those stern, bloodthirsty eyes of his?"

Ashe looks back at you. "That's why I want to talk with you. I want to ask you, why is pride so important? Many of the decisions I make or the proposals I put forth are treated as borderline heresy by my council. Forming an alliance with Demacia? Cowardice, they say. We cannot rely on those southern deadbeats for help. We will seem weak." 

She sighs and shakes her head. "But the fact that it will bring us enough power to unite Frejlord? Overlooked. Avoid contact with Sejuani and Lissandra because it will save lives and energy? Ignored, because that would make us seem like weaklings. I am having trouble understanding what drives people like them. People like you. So, unless it is too much to ask, can you give me some insight? If nothing else, do it for the alliance. The chance of acceptance dwindles with every passing day."

You are taken a bit aback by this statement. It is not common that Queens and Kings ask you for advice. And for something so... commonly, such as simple pride. You take a moment to think and look at the white-haired woman. 

"Well... It is difficult to explain, My Lady, but I will try."

"For many of these men, pride is the only thing they have. For me as well, it is one of the only things I have. I don't have a home nor a family. I hold no titles or land and have no right over anybody. All that I have, are my friends and my sword. These men are the same." 

"They have no home - they live in a camp. Many have families, but many don't. What brings them happiness, as weird as it may sound, is combat. The smell of victory and blood, the adrenaline pumping through their limbs. The challenge that is every enemy they face. The warm cup of mead around the campfire and the stories they share."

You look at her and after a bit point out. "It is all a commoner can do. Men want glory and a better life. And since coins hold almost no value in Frejlord, the only way to earn those is to rise through the ranks using their prowess. But I am guessing you already know that. On the other hand, the wives they leave behind tell them that there is no point in risking their lives for such things. That their current lives are good enough."

You pat your sword and carry on. "But, as fate would have it, we are too stubborn for our own good. The combination of that and the world we all grew up in creates these men your council is made up of. People, scared to show any weakness. People scared that anything will be abused and used against them. So they stand alone, against all that comes at them. To their death. It is the only thing they know how to do. They only know how to struggle and survive."

You look at Ashe and say: "If you want to make them agree with you, try putting your suggestions differently. Instead of saying 'We need the help of Demacia' say 'Demacia needs our help and is willing to pay for it'. Do not stand against them. Stand with them. Understand that deep down, these men are little boys that life has treated unfairly and that only want somebody that they can truly rely on. Give them that, and they will follow you to Hell and Back"

You sit around in silence for a bit. Ashe obviously is thinking over your words, and you use the time to look around the frozen forest, taking your mind off the pressure on top of you and your companions. The slow snowfall all around you, the sound of a little river somewhere in the distance, its cold waters smashing against rocks and trees... It was almost enough to make you forget the dangers this land held.

"How ironic. I have lived here my whole life, and you understand my people better than me, it would seem." Ashe says, slowly looking up.

"I... I have simply traveled a lot. No matter how they may look, all humans are the same on the inside. Or at least similar. Most have the same drive pushing them forward, as most have suffered greatly throughout their lives."

"And how about you? What drives you to keep fighting, keep pushing on?" The Queen asks. You ponder for a bit, your thoughts going to the times before Demacia when you spent everyday fighting for your life. The time when you finally met Lux. How your life changed. All the new friends and enemies that you made since then. The fresh breath of life your encounter with her brought you.

"The others. My friends, I mean."

Ashe seems a bit confused. "Not pride?"

"Pride too. But I found something stronger a couple of months ago. For the first time in forever, people depended on me. For the first time, I fought for somebody else. I used to be alone, abandoned, and forgotten. Nobody gave a damn whether I lived or not. But now they do. They stand next to me as I face whatever comes my way. And if I falter or fail, then she- or rather, they will falter and fail after me as well."

Ashe smiles coyly and says "I see... Thank you for this talk, Derrick. It was very insightful. I will let my guards escort you to the tent where your friends are resting. We will be expecting you to show up tonight. The final negotiations have begun."

You look at her, a bit worried, but nod. "I will be there, Your Majesty. Count on it."

As you walk away from her tent, you can just hope whatever you just said had some positive effect. You weren't a diplomat and always went with your gut feeling, including the times when you spoke. Let's hope that your words would at least help Ashe, even if the alliance was rejected. She was so young and yet she had to deal with so much.

As you came in front of one of the bigger tents around, the guard nodded towards the entrance, before turning around and walking away, his boots crushing the frozen water and mud that made up the roads of the encampment. You could hear some voices on the inside, all of them female and more importantly, all familiar. For some reason, you were nervous, but you took a deep breath and drew back the curtain that covered the entrance.

What you saw inside quickly made you smile. Shyvana, Lux, and Quinn wrapped up in furs, sitting next to a campfire with some food and drink in their hands, deep in discussion, probably talking about the negotiations. It was warm, the air was filled with the smell of cooked meat and burning coal and wood and it... it felt like home.

"You seem to be doing quite good without me." You comment sarcastically, a big smile on your face.

The three women look up at you in shock and you chuckle, giving them a little wave. There is little time to react, however, as a flustered Lux rushes over to you and hugs you tightly, burying her head into your chest. You are taken by surprise, but embrace her back and pat her back.

"You are alive!" You hear Lux say, muffled from your coat. You smile and answer. "That I am."

"Holy shit, Derrick, you got us so worried!" Shyvana exclaims as she comes over and joins in on the hug. "I don't know what I would do if my fighter buddy died."

"You are so dumb! How could you mess up so badly? We talked about this!" Quinn starts as she comes over to you. However, when you look up at her, you see relief in her eyes and scratch your head. "I... I forgot." She sighs and hugs the three of you as well. "Moron..."

Almost half a minute passes by before the hug dissolves. You take a look at the three of them and chuckle. "Man, you seem more glad than me that I am still breathing. Don't worry, a punch like that isn't enough to take me down."

"Seems like it was enough to crack up your nose," Shyvana mentions as she gives you a poke on the nose, which was a rather unpleasant one and made you flinch from pain.

"I was so worried!" A red-eyed Lux says, grabbing your bandaged arm. "That barbarian cut you up so badly I feared that you would... that..." You pat her head and say. "I'm not leaving you. You won't get rid of me soon."

"We might have to unless you improve your negotiation skills," Quinn says with a pout. "Walking in on a royalty with a weapon right next to your hand!" Your face reddens a bit from the embarrassment and you say. "I'm sorry, okay? Everyone makes mistakes!"

"Some mistakes cost people their lives." The woman turns around and walks out of the tent. Oh boy... She seems really mad. You have to apologize to her when you can. Or at least talk. Lux and Shyvana give you a worried look, but you cannot spend the next hour hunting for a Demacian ranger for a chat. For now, you have to prepare for what is to come. Something you will probably find harder than the duel. The sun was getting awfully low. And at midnight, they began. The final negotiations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I am back again. Hopefully for longer this time. I hope this chapter was worth the big wait! I tried to show some of Derrick's character through his talk with Ashe and I hope that it came out well enough. Next chapter, we will see how the negotiations go. And, maybe something more spectacular will happen too. We'll see, but whatever is the case, expect more chapters that contain our three favorite companions! Until then, I hope all of you stay safe, have a great time, and do your best in whatever life throws at you!
> 
> (Bonus points to anybody noticed the song reference.)

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if my writing was terrible here or there. English isn't my first language :)  
> Comment anything that you want for me to improve or anything you liked particularly! Thanks for reading!


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